The End Story
by Destiny's-Perfection
Summary: When two vampires turn up in Forks, the shockwaves they create may bring one family to its knees, and destroy another. This is what happens after the story ends and reality kicks in. Slash/Yaoi. HP/JB.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything, save for the slightly skewed plotline. Stephanie Meyer is the rightful owner of the Twilight Series and all related characters and situations. She does not own the places mentioned in her story however (Forks etc.) so I'm not going to include those in the disclaimer. Likewise, Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, but unlike Stephanie Meyer, Rowling does indeed own Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and all related Wizarding Areas.

For the sake of what I like to call _artistic license_, I will warn all those who read this that this story has distorted some parts of Twilight canon and many parts of Harry Potter canon. While I'm at it I also better include a warning that this story contains SLASH i.e. homosexuality, boy/boy, yaoi. If that isn't exactly your cup of tea then please hit that **Back** button located somewhere near the top left-hand corner of your browser window.

* * *

**Arriving**

--

She brushed off the lingering particles of ash from her blouse as she surveyed the parlour room that she'd landed in. It was empty, as she'd expected. Out the window, she could make out falling snow dropping idly onto the property green. It was a breathtaking sight. Winter here was always an awe-inspiring sight. Idly she wandered out of the room, noting that the house was oddly silent, she strained her ears but as always, the mild silencers seemed to be working well. She sighed slightly and made her way to her study on the second floor. As she passed each window she couldn't help but smile at the white blanket that was in the process of enveloping the property.

The study door was slightly ajar and she could hazard a guess as to her visitor was. As she pushed the door open she congratulated herself on knowing him so well.

She circled around him before settling behind her polished oak desk. His back was straight, posture impeccable. The perfect image of a pureblood Lord. A testament to the way she'd brought him up.

"We are moving."

A statement rather than a question. Even his speech was an example of the way that she'd raised him.

He was beautiful. In an unearthly way. Black hair too dark to be human. Green eyes too dazzling to be anything but otherworldly. He wasn't tall, but nor was he short either. Some people would call this an unassuming height, but despite the fact that he didn't tower over his fellow beings like an obnoxious giant, his presence alone more than made up for that.

She nodded. No point in beating around the bush.

A frown crossed over his face. On anyone else it would have been marring. But for him, it only seemed to add to his charm.

"Mother…"

She held up a hand to stop him. She smiled though despite the seriousness of the conversation.

_Mother_… How many nights had she lain awake dreaming of that one word coming from the mouth of a child that was hers?

"Harry, please. I'm doing this for you."

The only thing that met her was a quirked eyebrow. As always it took her breath away. She studied his face carefully. The curve of his nose. The way one eyebrow arched high in question as he stared back at her. The long swan like neck. The shape of his eyes. They may not have the same eye colour, or even the same hair colour, but in everything that Harry did, she could see where exactly her genes had left their mark.

She flipped a curtain of blonde hair over her shoulder. Twirled a finger around a lock of hair and pulled at it. It was a nervous tic that both she and Harry shared.

"Voldemort may be gone Harry, but his followers are still alive and still as strong as ever. Yes, they're not immortal and yes, they're not as powerful, but that just means that they have an easier time at hiding."

"Most of the Death Eaters are already in Azkaban! I don't know why we're running like-"

"We're not running! You defeated the Darkest Lord of the century; you've done your duty! It's time you stepped back and let the Ministry handle the rest."

Harry leveled a blank look at her.

"Mother…"

"No! Do you know how hard it was watching you walk into battle every damned night not knowing whether or not you were going to be walking back?!"

Harry's face softened, but she continued,

"It's not for long. 6 months, a year at the most."

It was pleading… Almost. Hale's after all, do not plead. They are above that.

Harry nodded once.

"Okay."

And it was sealed.

--

Surprisingly, it was Molly that had brought up the idea of moving. To get away from the press and the fans and the adoring public over all. And of course, to escape the rabid Death Eaters that were still at large and frothing at the mouth thanks to the death of their oh so esteemed leader. In the end she'd relented to the suggestion. Harry needed to get away from the Wizarding World for a time at least. Get away from the war-torn society that he'd lived in for the past few years. He'd already grieved for all those he'd lost in the war, now he just needed breathing space. Time to grow up away from spell-fire and the decay of dead bodies. So she'd gone to the Ministry and sorted the details out with Kingsley.

It was unfortunate that Harry had had to learn about the move from someone other than herself, but it couldn't be helped. He may not have understood exactly why they were moving but he'd relented at least. They were moving, and that's what mattered.

"Rosalie!"

Her head snapped up, blonde hair flying over her shoulder.

As a token to normalcy, she'd had Harry set up mild Silencing charms around the house. Not enough to completely block out all sounds, but enough to muffle them so that they could at least pretend for a time that they had human hearing. It was a novelty that Rosalie Hale loved. She may not be able to do many things that humans were capable of, but at least now she was capable of being surprised every now and again.

Andromeda Tonks walked in to the room slowly, dodging out of the way of towering cardboard boxes. In her arms, she rocked the small body of Teddy carefully.

"Andy!" Rosalie exclaimed, "And Teddy too! What a surprise. What brings you two to this neck of the woods?"

A perfectly plucked eyebrow arched.

Andy giggled at the look, not looking the part of grandmother at all. It may have had something to do with the Black genes, but even for her age, Rosalie had to admit that Andromeda looked pretty damned good.

"A little birdie told me that you were moving."

"Hmm… Would this little birdie happen to be your _paramour_?"

Andy at least had the decently to look shamed.

It had come as quite a shock when, after the war had ended, Andromeda Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt had come out about their relationship. But those that knew them well hadn't been blindsided at all. After the death of Ted Tonks, Shacklebolt had been Andromeda's rock. Helping her deal with the grief, helping her mourn and move on. And later, when Andromeda lost not just a daughter, but a son-in-law as well, Kingsley had been there too. With a soft smile and a shoulder to cry on. Despite the age difference, they were a well-suited pair. Kingsley made Andromeda feel younger, and act it too. And he was the perfect father figure for the orphaned Teddy, who adored his grandmother implicitly.

Rosalie sighed.

"I knew that numbskull couldn't keep a secret."

Andromeda tutted at Rosalie's choice of words. She continued on regardless.

"To answer your question though, yes we are moving."

Rosalie turned back to the boxes that she was in the process of labeling. The house elves had already packed away everything that they were taking with them. All she had to do now was label the boxes so she and Harry wouldn't have to be searching blind when they unpacked at their new house. She had just finished writing the word 'Plates - Cortez Collection' when Andy's voice cut in.

"So where exactly are you and Harry jet-setting to?"

Rosalie laughed as she looked over her shoulder.

"What? You mean to tell me Kingsley didn't tell you everything down to the minutest details?"

A discarded rag soared through the air, but Rosalie dodged out of the way effortlessly.

"For your information I had to pry out the fact that you two were even moving. After that, Kingsley said that it was an invasion of privacy and that if I wanted any details then I'd have to ask you myself."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can start with the interrogation already."

Andy made herself comfortable on the white canvas sheet that covered a couch across from where Rosalie was labeling more boxes.

"Let's start with how long you two will be gone for."

"Six months. A year at the most. Don't worry, Andy. It's not like Harry and I are going to drop off the face of the Earth forever."

"Well with you two, you never know."

Rosalie made to interrupt, but was cut off with an imperious wave of Andy's hand.

"Moving on. What's the house like?"

A smirk was what met her question and Andy shook her head in exasperation.

"Knowing you, it's most likely obscenely large, elaborate and ostentatious. Okay then, next question. Where exactly are you moving to?"

"The States. Forks, Washington to be exact."

The answer was bland, as if the speaker had no care for the words, but Andy stilled at the reply. Paling ever so slightly.

"Rosie… A-Are you sure? I mean… They- _He_ might be there. Do you really want to go back? Especially after all this time? There have to be other places. I mean…What about New Zealand? I heard they have a lot of clouds there. Or even Mongolia! Anywhere but-"

Blonde hair soared as Rosalie shook her head,

"Anywhere in Europe, China and Africa are out of the question. Harry would have the same trouble with the press and the fan clubs. Australia is too sunny and even though New Zealand is cold and cloudy, they still have incredibly amounts of sunlight as well. South America is just as bad as Australia. I considered Canada, but the pureblood society there is too entrenched in the Wizarding society here, so I had to rule that out as well. Honestly, the States is the only country where Harry won't be recognized by the Wizarding population."

"But why Forks of all places? Why not, I don't know… Somewhere else?"

"We short listed a few places but had to rule them out due to issues like, Vampire-Wizarding treaties, segregation of species and extreme pureblood prejudice. In the end it was a tossup between Alaska and Forks. I had Kingsley check up on the Cullen's. They recently moved to Alaska, which means they'll be there for the next hundred years at the very least. That pretty much left Forks as the only option."

--

They boarded the plane without any hassle. They didn't have any luggage so they managed to jump the cue of travelers getting their bags x-rayed. Their seats were in first-class, as befitted members of the Hale family.

It was as the plane was lifting off that Rosalie noticed that Harry was staring at his passport. They'd both had to get new passports to leave the country. None of them were in their real names. They had Kingsley to thank for them.

"What's wrong?"

Her hand ruffled through his hair.

His look was ecstatic when he finally pulled his eyes away from his forged passport.

"Hadrian Hale."

Rosalie blinked. Her none existent heart clenching at the words.

"I-I don't have to be Harry Potter anymore. I can be who I really am. I can be your son again. I… I can be Hadrian again."

Rosalie nodded and stopped breathing as she felt her body shake slightly with the tears that she oh so desperately wanted to shed.

When they'd re-entered the Wizarding World, it had been Albus' idea for Harry to assume his birth name once more. They'd known, even back then, that Voldemort was still a threat and they knew that in the event of war, they would need a symbol for the public to rally behind. A saviour that the public could trust… And who better than the Boy-Who-Lived himself.

So Hadrian Hale had been discarded in the still of the night, and on the 1st of September Harry Potter had once more rejoined the Wizarding Society.

In the end her son had had to develop a persona of Harry for the public to view. But in the privacy of his closest friends and family, he'd had the relief of being able to drop his Gryffindor mask and be who he really was. He could be Hadrian Hale, only child of Rosalie Hale, vampire.

--

When Rosalie had formally adopted Harry at the age of 3 (adoption papers, paper trail and everything else that doing it the legal way had entailed), it had been the greatest moment of her life. She had a son that she was going to raise as her own. Already he'd picked up on calling her 'Mommy' and though the words were sometimes muffled by the large stuffed bear that he carried around with him constantly, every time he said that one word it made Rosalie swell up with so much happiness that she almost felt human again. Almost felt like she could feel warmth again. She'd never thought she'd ever be happier. But she was wrong. She'd thought she'd known real happiness but nothing could ever compare to the day that she'd completed the Blood Adoption with Hadrian. Her one true happiness was experienced the day she looked down on her sleeping son and saw the features in him that were all hers. Features that he had _inherited_ from her. Features that told the world that this boy was her child. He was her son. Not just in name, but in blood as well.

In the beginning, Rosalie had been hesitant at even thinking about the process. Blood Adoptions were tricky business, and that was when the adopting parent was human. A vampire adopting a human child wasn't unheard of, but the consequences were always varied. In some cases the child was turned by the end of the process, but in others the child had died. In the 15th Century there had even been one recorded outcome that had the child staying human with his adopted parent's vampire abilities. Rosalie was uncertain about the process, despite Harry's insistence at going ahead with it. She had been scared back then. So scared that she might lose the son that she loved more than anything in the whole world. And she wasn't just saying that either. If she had to sacrifice anything, whether it be her life or the life of someone else, she'd do it in a human heartbeat to save her son. Regardless of her doubts though, she'd gone ahead with it. Harry's pleadings had become too much and she'd caved.

She'd thought her misgivings about the adoption had all come true when she found that she couldn't hear the heartbeat of her son. She'd been so scared when she found that he wasn't breathing, that she couldn't hear the rush of his blood flowing through his veins. But then he'd opened clear emerald eyes and she saw that flecked within the pupil were blood red streaks and she knew that Fate had bestowed the greatest gift on her. Her son was a vampire. A vampire that looked as if she'd actually birthed him, and she knew that she could never ask for anything more than that.

--

Forks was as dreary as it was all those years ago when she'd last been here with the Cullen's. How long had it been? A hundred years? More? She couldn't remember, couldn't quite bring herself to care either. They'd caught a taxi cab at the airport. The cars were being shipped in in two days, so they'd decided to make for the time being. The ride was mostly quiet. The driver had said nothing after Hadrian had handed him a piece of paper with directions to the house. Under their breath, too quiet for human ears to hear, they conversed between them. Rosalie pointing out Port Angeles as the nearest shopping district and indicating the diner that the humans in Forks frequented. She also showed Hadrian where the local High School was. They hadn't decided whether or not to enroll Hadrian yet. In the off chance that they didn't, they'd already had Kingsley create a High School Diploma for Hadrian to prove that he'd graduated already from a Secondary School in England. She'd left the choice up to Hadrian. If he wanted to deal with humans day after day, then that was up to him.

As they passed the La Push area, Rosalie used a manicured finger to etch out the boundary and explain the treaty that separated the land and protected the humans from harm.

Hadrian soaked it all in with a small smile playing across his lips. This town was a part of his mothers past, and he was glad that she was sharing this with him. It was a type of bonding that they didn't do enough of.

Rosalie had trouble talking about her years with the Cullen's at times. It was hard for her to remember the good times, especially since most of the good times had involved her being with Emmett. When Hadrian had been nine, she'd sat him down and explained to him her entire past. Ever since then though, she'd never brought it up again and only talked about her past family when it was in passing. She was over the heart ache of Emmett's betrayal, but that didn't mean that it still didn't hurt.

--

"This isn't a house."

Rosalie smiled as she passed the still form of her son. Behind her, she could hear the sound of the taxi cab pulling out of the driveway. The sound was unnervingly loud in the stillness of the surrounding forest.

"Of course it is sweetie. This is our house."

Hadrian still hadn't moved an inch, even as his mother had walked at a mortal pace towards the front door,

"This isn't a house. You said you'd bought and furnished a _house _in Forks. This, Mother dearest, is as big as the Hale manor back home."

"What's wrong with Hale Manor?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying, how are we meant to be normal with a _manor_ like this?"

She waved it off with a lilting laugh and a nonchalant wave of her hand.

"We're rich and normal. What's wrong with that? And really, it's not like anyone is going to come and _see _our house. If you want you can tell people that we live in a perfectly normal two storey house out in the middle of the woods."

Hadrian sighed as Rosalie opened the front door and made her way inside. Out of sight, he could hear the pattering of his mother's footsteps as she flitted from floor to floor and room to room. Most likely making sure that everything was exactly the same as how she'd purchased it.

"Typical." He muttered.

From the second storey he heard his mothers taunting voice,

"I heard that."

--

Piles of boxes were stacked in various rooms. The boxes of plates, silverware, cups and the like were piled up on the kitchen countertop.

They didn't actually have any need for plates, but they'd become accustomed to having them around. Back home, Hale Manor was the second most frequented congregation point amongst their friends. After the Burrow that is. Because of this many people were coming in and out of the house at all hours of the day, and not all of them were vampires. So of course they'd had to stock up on plates and cutlery and food for their ever hungry friends. Ron after all was known for being practically a black hole and Sirius Black was known for being able to eat his own body weight in any type of food.

In the rooms, boxes of clothes and valued possessions were stacked at the foot of each bed.

The furniture had already been placed in the positions that Rosalie had chosen beforehand. The house elves had done well. There was no dust, no streaks of anything on the window panes. It was impeccable.

Eventually, Rosalie and Hadrian settled in the kitchen. Hadrian perched in front of the counter sipping at a glass of warm rabbit's blood poured from a bottle of Zabini's finest. It was well known in the Wizarding World that Blaise Zabini, after being turned during a failed Death Eater raid, had revitalized his family's dying fortune by buying a vineyard and selling first class wine for his living customers and bottled purified animal blood for his not quite living customers.

Behind the counter, Rosalie moved swiftly at packing away the contents of the boxes that were stacked before her.

The clatter of dishes and cutlery filled the air.

Hadrian emptied the last of the bottle into the empty wine glass before him. He pressed a finger against the bottom of the glass ad pushed it over to rest in front of his mother.

"Mom."

She smiled as she brought the glass to her lips.

"Thanks hun."

Hadrian nodded. Outside, through the windows, Harry could make out the edge of the woods at the end of the back lawn.

"Maybe we can go hunting tomorrow?"

Rosalie smiled at the thought. They hadn't been hunting together in a long while. It was dangerous for Harry to hunt anywhere in the Wizarding World because of his fame and no-one outside of close friends even knew that the famed Lady Hale was anything but human. For the past few years they'd had to subsist on blood delivered to them by friends or close acquaintances. Hunting became a sacred practice that they could only indulge in once every few months or so.

"Yeah. That'd be nice."

Hadrian tilted his head to the side as his mother made to remove more plates from a box and sort them in to the cupboards.

"Why are you doing that anyway? You could just call the house elves from Hale Manor and have them sort everything out."

Rosalie smiled at the words, but shook her head nonetheless. A radiant smile crossed over her lips.

"This is the first time we've moved before. I like being involved in the moving process."

Hadrian laughed outright at the statement.

"Liar. We've moved before and you've ever cared about the 'moving process' as you so eloquently called it."

Rosalie's smile dimmed and died as she scowled at her son and threw the empty cardboard box at his head. A streak of something flesh colored was all the warning that the box got as Hadrian ripped it to shreds with a single backhand.

"Okay, fine. I didn't ask the house elves to do it because I wanted something to do when we got here. I figured if I got bored as soon as we touched down, then I'd at least have the boxes to unpack to keep me occupied."

--

Unpacking was a fairly straightforward affair. Despite the fact that the house was indeed quite large and that there were hundreds upon hundreds of boxes to unpack, they were completely done by the next day. Super speed, heightened senses and a lack of being able to sleep contributed to it greatly and had resulted in Hadrian and Rosalie spending the entire night packing away their belongings in their rightful places.

The next day dawned and found Hadrian and Rosalie returning from their first hunt together in a long while.

During Hadrian's chase of a cougar, he'd managed to rip his trousers and tear his shirt to shreds. It was as he tore the ruined shirt from his body, that he turned to his mother,

"Maybe we should stop by that place, La Push, and tell the shifters down there that we're, you know, going to be living here for a while."

"You mean the werewolves?"

"They're shape shifters Mom, not werewolves."

His mother scoffed at the statement.

"Same thing. Anyway why, pray tell, would we want to stop by their reserve?"

Hadrian rolled his eyes at her antics. He knew that she couldn't stand the smell of any canine hybrids because they all smelled like wet dog to her. The only reason she had even given Remus a chance at all was because he'd been a decent teacher to Hadrian, so she'd played nice around him, despite the over bearing bad smell that always permeated the air where ever Remus went.

"First off, werewolves and shape shifters are _entirely _different, and you know that. And second of all, it's called common courtesy Mother, I'm sure you've heard of that term before, even if it was in passing."

"Hey!" Rosalie exclaimed as Hadrian laughed heartily, "Don't take that tone with me!"

Hadrian dashed off, tossing over his shoulder his parting words,

"I'll stop being sarcastic after we go and introduce ourselves to the resident wolves."

He was gone in the blink of an eye, Rosalie dashing off after him as fast as she could.

Hadrian's speed was something that Rosalie had always been proud of. She was positive that her son was even faster than Edward had ever been.

They chased after each other. Hadrian always in the lead with his superior agility, but his mother gave him a good run for his money. They raced across the grounds and flittered through each of the rooms of the manor. Laughter reverberated around the rooms and drifted to permeate all the of floors. After everything they'd been through, it was a comfort to the both of them that they could unwind and behave like the loving family they were. They hadn't been entirely sure that they would both survive the war, but they were both infinitely glad that they had.

--

When Hadrian returned from exploring the surrounding forest the next day, he found his mother at the kitchen counter. The cordless telephone handset in one hand, while the other hand tapped incessantly against the open pages of the local phone book. She didn't even look up as he strolled in to the room. Her brow was creased in concentration as her eyes flicked through names.

"What are you doing?"

She didn't even look up as he sat before her.

"I'm not sure who the current Alpha would be."

Hadrian took a seat near her as he tried to crane his neck to get a glimpse of the phonebook.

"Are there many options?"

"Three. The original treaty was made between Carlisle and Ephraim Black. There's a Billy Black, a Serena Black and a Jo Black."

"Which one do you think it is?"

"I'm pretty sure that the Blacks are a predominantly male family. So I'm leaning towards Billy Black and Jo Black."

"Jo? Is that an actual man's name, or is it a feminist nickname for some anti-male lesbian named Joanna or something?"

"Hmm… it's spelt J-O as opposed to J-O-E… You're right. We'll go with Billy Black."

She dialed the number quick enough and Hadrian strained to hear the voice on the other line.

They'd agreed that the same rules that they'd enforced back at Hale Manor would be used in the Forks manor as well. Hadrian had spent the better part of the night before flitting through the house throwing Silencers as fast as he could. They'd agreed to put up the same mild silencers around the rooms so they couldn't always hear what was going on in the next room. One of the rules they'd also agreed on was to put silencers on the phones so that no-one could eavesdrop on the person who was on the phone. It gave them their own senses of privacy.

Hadrian could vaguely make out the gruff of an older man when the other line picked up. He couldn't hear both parts of the conversation but he could hear enough from his Mom.

"Hi, is this Billy Black? Hi, you don't know me but my name is Rosalie Hale-"

There was something indefinitely funny about his mother on the phone, Hadrian thought idly. She could be a right personality in person to certain people at times, but when she was on the phone to people that she didn't know that she already hated, she could be the nicest sounding person in the world. It was a running joke back home that whenever Rosalie was unnaturally kind to other people, Hadrian would mock her by saying, 'Careful Mom, your telephone personality is showing.'

"Are you by any chance a descendant of Ephraim Black? You are? Oh good. I was wondering if perhaps a meeting could be arranged between us. It's actually to discuss the treaty made between Carlisle Cullen and Ephraim Black. How do I know about it? I was actually there when the treaty was made. Yes, I am a Cold One-"

Simultaneously, both mother and son rolled their eyes at the term.

"We'll see you tomorrow then."

She hung up and poked her tongue out in exasperation.

"Sounds like a stuck up arse if you ask me. He probably comes equipped with the latest Death Glare and a Disapproving Look."

Hadrian snorted at the sarcasm and shook his head.

"Sounds like an American version of Snape."

--

They met at the eastern boundary, in a clearing that had been declared neutral territory way back when. It was empty when Hadrian and Rosalie entered the clearing and stood waiting in the centre, still as statues. There was no point in holding up pretences and pretending to breathe when the other party knew that it was pretty much impossible for you to do so.

"We're early."

"Oh stop complaining. So what if I accidentally set the clocks to the wrong time? How long are you going to hold it against me?"

Hadrian leveled a cold look at his mother.

"I'll take that as a very long time."

A roll of eyes was all that met her statement.

"How many shifters are there anyway?"

His eyes scanned the surrounding area carefully, trying to guess where the approaching party would emerge from. Next to him, Rosalie shrugged.

"Not sure. Last time I was here was when the treaty was signed. Pretty much the entire reserve back then were capable of shape shifting. It may be just one of them or it may be all of them. We'll see when they get here."

It was another 20 minutes before they heard the pattering of two large four-legged creatures making their way rapidly towards the clearing. A few minutes later and there a pause just outside of their line of sight. Hadrian could hear the subtle shift in the wind that he recognized as an animal body shifting back to its human form. A rustle of jeans could be heard before two figures emerged from the opposite side of the clearing.

As the two emerging figures caught sight of them, Hadrian and Rosalie both noticed that the younger one faltered slightly for just a fraction of a second. Perhaps he'd never met vampire before in person?

Both of them were male. Both of them shirtless. Both of them had well defined bodies that even Rosalie had to admit looked like every straight girls wet dream in the overcast light that Forks was well known for. The difference ended there though. Where one was large and hulking the other was leaner. Where one had long brown hair curling around his face, the other had cropped shirt dirty blonde locks. Where one was young, the other was older, more experienced. And for some unknown reason, they both seemed to be Alphas. Rosalie whispered mockingly to Hadrian before the shifters could come within hearing distance.

"Must be hell on the hierarchy."

Hadrian gave her a warning look just as the shifters came up just feet away from where the two Hales stood.

"Where's Billy Black?"

Typical of his mother to not even wait until the pleasantries had even started.

The older, leaner shape shifter with the dirty blonde hair and murky blue eyes spoke,

""He's currently indisposed. My name is Sam Uley, the current Alpha of the reserve pack."

There was a brief moment where tension seemed to rise between the two shifters, but the moment passed as the other man nodded to the two new resident vampires.

"Jacob Black, Alpha of the rogue pack."

Hadrian tossed his mother a cold look as she made to open her mouth. Most likely to comment on why exactly a Black descendant wasn't leading the reserve pack as was his right. Hadrian didn't want anything to do with pack politics even if it meant something as inconsequential as inquiring about it.

Hadrian nodded to the two shifters, but refrained from holding out a hand.

"My name is Hadrian Hale; this is my mother Rosalie Hale. We just moved to the area and thought that it would be polite to inform you that two vampires were currently living in the vicinity."

The looks garnered from the two alphas was not entirely hospitable.

"What exactly are you doing here? Pretending to play human while you feed from the population?"

It was Sam that spoke and his voice was as harsh as a Siberian winter.

When Rosalie returned the look however, it was cold enough to freeze Hell over.

"The reserve must be desperate if they have someone as stupid as you as Alpha. You should be able to tell from our eye color that we feed on animals and that it's a lifestyle that we've had for longer than just a few years. We didn't have to tell you that we were here. My son thought that it would be the considerate thing to do, but it seems you are incapable of showing us that same common courtesy that we have clearly shown you."

And indeed both their eyes were a bright amber in the not so bright daylight. For Rosalie it was the norm, for Hadrian though, it was a side-effect of feeding. It took up to 4 hours before the colour dispersed and instead streaked around his normally bright viridian eyes.

It was Jacob that interrupted the standoff.

"Forgive us, we've recently had some trouble with the Volturi and it's in our best interest to be wary of all newcomers."

Hadrian and Rosalie chose not to comment and instead nodded in acceptance at the veiled apology.

"Well you don't have to be too wary. We'll be gone by next year."

"Why's that?" Asked Jacob, turning to Rosalie to continue the conversation.

"We're only here for a breather. We'll being going home next year."

"Would home happen to be somewhere under the British Monarchy?"

Rosalie nodded.

"Your accent kind of gives you away. My father mentioned that you were here when the treaty was first formed. Are you two part of the Cullen family?"

There was a brief pause where Hadrian almost jumped in, but his mother spoke before he could interject.

"No, we're not. Hadrian wasn't there at the time, but I happened to be staying with the Cullen family for that period of time."

Jacob nodded thoughtfully at the answer. Beside him, Sam Uley visibly frowned at the way Jacob seemed to be getting cozy with the newest bloodsuckers. There was just something completely inhuman about them, and not in a vampire way.

"Why can't we smell you?"

Hadrian coughed and had the decency to look sheepish at the question.

"Yeah, that would be my fault. I kind of figured that there was a chance that you would go feral and try to kill us instead of talking to us if you caught our scent. We took a suppressant before we came."

"Suppressant?"

"It's a pill. One of Mom's… _friend's_ came up with it. He's a… _Chemistry_ whiz and came up with a compound that suppresses a vampires natural scent. According to him the same thing works with werewolves as well."

It was dispassionate the way Hadrian said it, but the wolves were disturbed at his answer. Hadrian on the other hand could never remember when Snape had ever been more understated. It was quite laughable actually.

"You-You have _friends_ that experiment of werewolves?!"

"No, actually he experimented on me while he was in the process of creating the suppressant, and then this werewolf that we mutually knew volunteered and yeah, that's about it."

"Look!" Rosalie interrupted, "Do you want our social security numbers to do a background check or can we leave now that we've informed you that we're here and not going to start eating the local population."

Jacob and Sam both nodded uneasily.

"Yeah, umm… Thanks for informing us."

Jacob looked increasingly uncomfortable at being in their presence and after brief pleasantries they both parted and went their separate ways. The vampires were hoping that they'd never have to see the resident shifters again.

--

Miles away from the Forks Manor that the Hales will be occupying for the upcoming year, there lies a ramshackle old house that is in dire need of a doing up. Despite this however, there is a homeliness to it that most houses lack. It is a house where there has been laughter and joy and tears and pain. The house lies in La Push and is owned by the elder of the Quileute Tribe, Billy Black who, at this very moment is waiting patiently for his son to come home and make his report.

When Sam and Jacob return to rehash word for word, about the meeting that had happened, Billy knew that something had gone wrong when Jacob spoke little and instead settled for nodding and grunting in appropriate places during Sam's spiel. He thought nothing of it however when Sam finished talking and made his leave. If it was important, then Jacob would have spoken when Sam had been there. When Sam left however, and Jacob turned to him with wide eyes full of fear and trepidation, Billy knew that something important _had _happened and that it was most likely life changing.

"Dad… I-I think I did something really, really, _really _stupid."

Billy waited for his son to continue. There was no point in making false promises about not being mad when there could be a chance that Billy would indeed become incensed.

"I… I imprinted…"

Billy's heart leaped at the words. Finally… Finally his son had found the one person in the world that would make him happy. The one person who nature herself had deemed the perfect match for his son. But the next words threw him for a loop.

"… With a boy."

Billy nodded slowly. Homosexuality was a touchy subject among the people of today, and there were many people in the world that were homophobic. Jacob was most likely worried about what his father thought of having a gay son. But it was a non issue and Jacob should have known that. Imprinting on someone had nothing to do with sex or race or any boundaries that could keep a couple apart. Finding your imprint was the greatest thing that the Quileute tribe cherished. It was a person that was perfect for you. Someone that nature herself had deemed your other half. Someone who would love you unconditionally, no matter what happened in life. It was what the concept of soul mates had been based on. And it wasn't like Jacob was the first ever homosexual wolf. There had in fact been many in the past, they had just been outnumbered by the heterosexual couples. But they were never looked down upon because their love was just as pure as everyone else's.

"Jake, that's fine. It doesn't matter whether you imprinted on a man or a woman. You _imprinted_! That's-That's amazing. A looker is he? I bet he is, knowing you!"

Billy laughed as the words poured out. His son had imprinted. It was the happiest day of his life.

But Jacob didn't look too happy. Instead, he looked even more uneasy at the cheery response from his father. Billy stopped laughing as felt his heart clench at the approaching news. He knew it was going to be bad. He just didn't know how bad it was.

"There's more isn't there?"

Jacob nodded uncertainly.

"Jake, come one. Just tell me. Is he married? Maybe you think he's straight? Is he an eighty year old or something?"

Jacob gave a hollow chuckle, "I honestly wish it was any of those things."

"Jake…"

"I imprinted."

Billy nodded as Jacob looked away from his father.

"On a boy."

Billy nodded again, even though Jacob couldn't see his face. He could tell that this was tearing his son apart. His voice was starting to shake and when he spoke again, his voice was hysterical.

"Who is currently one of the new resident _vampires_!!"

--

**Next Chapter:** Backtracking – Finally we meet the Cullen's, but how will they react when they realize that Rosalie is in Forks?

* * *

So essentially I had to screw with canon a bit. The Harry Potter timeline has been moved up by eight years to make this story compatible. This story also occurs a few months after Breaking Dawn.

Everything in the Twilight series happened except for Rosalie being a part of the story. Instead of Rosalie, it was Tanya and at school it was: Edward and Alice Cullen. Jasper and Emmett Whitlock. Tanya Denali. All of Rosalie's actions in the Twilight series was instead done by Tanya, even protecting Bella from Edward while she was pregnant and having the baby. As for Jacob, he eventually fell out of love with Bella and the reason he protected Renesmee was NOT because he imprinted on her, but because he promised his best friend that he'd protect her child no matter what happened. Oh, and after Breaking Dawn, the Cullen's moved to Alaska. She calls Charlie everyday though, and her mother still thinks that Bella is living with Charlie, I'm also not sure about Renesmee's growth rate because it's been a while since I last saw my copy of Breaking Dawn. I'm pretty sure that one of my friends still has it. So if someone could tell me how much she grows each day and how old she would be about two months after Breaking Dawn? That would be much appreciated. I actually really need it so that I can finish the next chapter. Anyway, the reason Rosalie left will be explained at a later date, but anyone care to hazard a guess? If anyone gets it right I'll e-mail them a copy of the next chapter two days before I upload it ;)

The Harry Potter timeline was essentially kept the same, save for Sirius NOT dying in the 5th book and the last two books overall.

More of the what happened during the Harry Potter timeline will be explained during the rest of the story. If not then I'll just explain it in Authors Notes at the end of certain chapters.

Anyway, remember to review people.

This story is a trial and I want to know what others think about it =P

Don't worry about this story being like my others, where I get hyped, start writing and then get stonewalled by writers block. Most of this plot has already been outlined and the next few chapters have already been hashed out ;) This is actually a very short story and won't be jam packed with action. It's sort of like, a really long epilogue for what happened after the war. Hence, the title of the story.

Also, please remember that I am my own Beta so if you see any spelling or grammatical errors then feel free to correct me about it. I'm not perfect and can miss things sometimes.

Thanks,

- Des.


	2. Chapter 2

I must **warn** all readers that this story contains explicit language. Please do not read if this makes you uncomfortable.

Congratulations also to Astra Delicnant for being the first person to correctly guessing the reason as to why Rosalie left. Congrats also to KounetsuDeb for getting it right too. Honorable mentions go to: Swallows a lot, Haunt of twilight, BabyIn-A-Corner and TaintedBlackRose1124.

* * *

**Backtracking**

--

It was a typical day in Forks when Rosalie packed a single bag and left the Cullen household, intending never to come back. The past two days had been the worst she could ever remember experiencing and that included the day her husband and his group of drunk friends had gang-raped her and left her to die. She had died in the end, but death for her was entirely different to what she had thought it would be whilst she was human. She hadn't initially thought of leaving. She'd thought that maybe all she needed to do was weather the storm with the man that she'd thought was the love of her life. But when she'd been alone in the house that day, all the memories had come crashing through her mind and it had almost torn her apart. The minute she was alone, the first thing she'd done was douse the bed in kerosene and light it up. She'd chucked in the clothes of that whore while she had been at it. But it still didn't erase the pain. Or the smell of sex that still lingered in the house and made her sick every single time she took a breath. So she'd decided that if anything, what she needed the most was an escape from the memories. So she'd packed a single bag with things that were entirely hers and had nothing to do with the Cullen family. She'd hefted the bag over her shoulder and walked out of the door. She didn't take any money with her, nothing that would, in her opinion, make her indebted to the family. She took herself and her things and that was that.

--

Trisha Martel had turned 18 just two days before she died. Student President, Head Cheerleader, slightly above average intellectually. The eldest of 5 children, she'd applied to Harvard to follow in the footsteps of her father. She wasn't the most perfect person in the world. She wasn't a virgin, she used to smoke and even up until the day she died she got smashed every weekend and usually woke up in the bed of a boy that she'd met the night before. She cussed like a sailor (though never in front of her parents) and dressed like it was the hottest day of the year every day. She'd hurt many people in her life, most of them girls whose boyfriends she'd slept with just for the fun of it, and she'd never regretted any of it. But she hadn't died for any of these reasons. She'd died for the same reason that many people in the world died. Trisha Martel died because she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She'd been driving home after a late Student Council meeting at school when her car had stalled and the engine started steaming. The Martel family house was on an out of the way road, 20 minutes out of the nearest town. It was a choice that her parents had made to try and bring their children up in a place big enough for family parties and away from the corruption that a large city could sometimes provide.

Her mobile phone was dead and she'd forgotten to throw in her car charger that morning. Her beeper was likewise dead, so Trisha had figured that the only way she was getting home was if she was walking. She made the mistake however when she paused at the sound of a car engine approaching behind her.

Figuring that maybe she wouldn't have to walk home after all, Trisha started waving her hands trying to flag down the car. It was silver and she vaguely thought it might be similar to the Aston Martin that her father owned. When the window rolled down and she caught sight of the driver however, she couldn't believe her luck. A ride home with a guy that hot? It might just be her lucky day. She completely disregarded the wedding band on the driver's hand.

"Hi, my name's Edward Cullen. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

In the passenger seat beside Edward, Jasper Whitlock winced and clenched his hands into fists as he tried desperately to reign in his self control. Lady Fate however had other plans as a strong gust of wind brushed past Trisha and saturated the car with her scent.

She never made it home that day. It was just her bad luck that her car had broken down in the middle of a road that Edward Cullen and Jasper Whitlock had been driving by. It was just her bad luck that she'd been born Jasper's singer.

--

When the cars arrived Hadrian had been impressed with both his car and his mother's. He'd had no need for a car back home, so this was technically his first ever 'ride'. He'd never even driven before, but he'd managed to score a drivers license from Kingsley before they'd left. He didn't know cars very well but he knew two things when he first saw his.

One: It must have cost more than most people's lives were worth, and Two: He'd just fallen in love at first.

The car was beautiful. Sleek, black and knowing his mother, Hadrian knew that it was probably one of the fastest, if not _the_ fastest, car in the world.

"I-I don't know what to say."

Behind his back, Rosalie smirked knowingly. Her son may not know cars as well as she did, but he knew how to appreciate beauty when he saw it.

"A thank-you would probably be the best place to start."

"Thank-you. Thank-you!"

There was a blur as Hadrian launched himself into the arms of his mother. They shared a hug that they both savored before parting.

"So when do I get to test drive her?"

A shrug from his parental guidance.

"It's not like we're doing anything. Let's go now."

They started off slow as Hadrian pulled out of the garage and Rosalie talked him through reversing. He was as natural as he was on a broomstick. As he exited the driveway on to the lonely road that would take them back through the town of Forks, Hadrian grinned at the ease he felt at handling a car for the first time. It was just something else that he could say that he'd inherited from his mother.

He shifted from first gear to second to third as he became accustomed to the sound of his new car. 20 minutes later and he was speeding across the tarmac like a pro. Beside him Rosalie had the window down, one elbow resting on the door, blonde hair spiraling behind her like a curtain of gold. Hadrian reached over and placed a hand over Rosalie's arm. She turned to him in question,

"Thank-you."

She smiled and nodded, turning back away. Her son was happy. Nothing could be better.

When a police cruiser started following behind with its siren blaring, Hadrian almost braked reflexively. He caught himself though, as he slowed to a stop and pulled up to the shoulder of the road. In the distance, Rosalie could make out the outline of the shops at the edge of the Forks main town.

Fingers tapped listlessly against the steering wheel as Hadrian watched a figure climb out of the police car and walk towards them.

The officer was at least 40, maybe even older. His face was weathered, hands calloused, with a handle-bar mustache that hid the upper part of his mouth. He had an easy, open face though, so Hadrian plastered on a smile when the officer leant down to look in through the driver's window.

"License and registration, please."

Rosalie rifled through the glove box and handed over a laminated card and a pink slip over to Hadrian who passed it on to the officer.

"Is there a problem, officer?"

"Are you aware that you were traveling almost three times faster than the speed limit?"

Hadrian faked a shocked face as he exclaimed, "Oh wow, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that at all. My Mom just bought me the car actually and I was just so excited about getting to test drive her that I just must not have been concentrating on how fast I was going."

"That's okay, Mr. Hale-"

"Hadrian, please."

"Oh, well, in that case, you can call me Charlie. Charlie Swann, Chief of Police for Forks. You folks just passing through?"

Hadrian shook his head.

"We moved here just a few days ago. We bought the old Carter Estate."

Charlie nodded, "Oh so that's what Susan was talking about."

"Susan?"

"She's the local real estate agent. She mentioned that someone had bought the land there. Your father probably talked to her when he bought the place."

Hadrian arched an eyebrow in an exact imitation of his mother, "My father's dead. But I do believe Susan talked to my mother when she bought the land."

Charlie blanched at the words.

"Oh, sorry about that-"

"Its fine, you didn't know."

Charlie nodded uncertainly and looked past Hadrian to notice the stunning woman that sat at his side. She couldn't be described as beautiful because that would have been like calling Aphrodite 'pretty'. She was just… Phenomenally good looking. Her body belonged on camera at model photo shoots and her face looked like it was made for large billboards around the world. Together, they were a striking couple. But even Charlie could see that Hadrian was the woman's son. Though Hadrian had most likely inherited his fathers colouring, everything else was clearly his mothers.

'Charlie, this is my mother, Rosalie Hale."

Rosalie nodded coolly at Charlie and offered a small smile. Charlie returned the nod and turned back to Hadrian.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time I might not be so lenient."

Hadrian laughed as Charlie winked at him and walked back to his cruiser.

"Congratulations Hadrian, you've broken even Black's record. You've only been legally driving for half an hour and already you've been pulled over."

--

In a house far away from any kind of civilization, two figures stand at the living room windows locked in an embrace.

"I'm sorry, Alice."

The woman, Alice, smiles up at the man and hugs him closer.

"Jasper, its fine! Yes, you killed her, but you didn't drink her blood. You resisted even when you were soaked in it. That is an _amazing_ achievement, Jazz."

He shakes his head though, leans down to bury his face in the crook of Alice's neck. She holds him closer, and lets his emotions wash over her. The majority that she can feel is guilt. Guilt at killing an innocent girl who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Guilt at forcing his family to move, despite the fact that they'd only even been in Alaska for the past two months.

She stills in his arms moments later. Jasper's head whips up at the change in her stance and watches in concern at the glazed look that Alice is wearing.

"Alice? What do you see?"

There is a whoosh of wind and in the blink of an eye two more figures have entered the empty living room.

Jasper looks up barely and notices that there are only two figures.

"Where's everyone else?"

It is the lean blonde man that speaks,

"They went with Tanya to say goodbye."

'Is she coming with us?"

"You know she is, Jasper."

He nods and turns back to the disassociated Alice.

"Oh my god…"

It is whispered and Jasper flinches at the awe in Alice's voice.

"Alice?" The voice is as smooth silk and emanates from the mouth of the caramel haired beauty on the arm of the blonde man.

Dark hair goes flying as Alice shakes her head to clear her mind,

"I… Esme…"

"What did you see, Alice?"

When she looks up her eyes show clearly her fear and trepidation.

"I saw Rosalie."

--

When Alice enters the vision, she initially cannot see much. The first thing that comes to her attention though, is the sound. There is no talking, no voices. Just the sounds of the wind whistling by at high speeds and a gear stick being shifted continuously. When her sight is restored to her, Alice can barely contain her shock.

A mass of gold streams through the air and Alice's breath catches in her throat because she has only ever met one person who has that exact hair colour.

The woman is looking out the window, her hair flying behind her like a golden banner. She sits in the passenger seat of a car, one elbow leaning on the door, staring out of the window, her face impassionate.

Alice tries to see who is driving, but the only thing that meets her is a hazy picture, as if she is looking through distorted glass. She cannot make out much, but she can see dark hair and brilliant green where she can make out the distorted outline of the man's eyes. Confusion etches through Alice's face as it dawns on her that Rosalie, her sweet darling missing sister Rosalie, is in a car with a human.

There seems to be a pause before a hand stretches over from the driver's seat and the man rests it on the crook of Rosalie's elbow.

Alice watches as Rosalie turns to the man and raises an eyebrow in question. The sound of his voice crashes through Alice's head and she hears the soft, melodic voice say with such heart-felt joy,

"Thank-you."

For a single word, there are so many emotions behind it that Alice almost cringes at the intensity of it. She continues watching though.

Rosalie turns to the murky figure of the man and smiles back and it is this smile that has Alice whispering to herself,

"Oh my god..."

The smile is beatific. An expression that Alice had never seen on Rosalie's face, even when she was at her happiest with Emmett.

When she turns away to stare back out the window, Alice can see that Rosalie has never been happier.

How is she meant to explain this to Emmett?

--

Hadrian is flipping idly through his file when Rosalie finds him stretched across the living room couch. Before him the plasma screen is tuned in to some inane cartoon show. The sound is muted and Rosalie sneers at the idiotic show as she brushes her nail file over her nails. She pauses in her task briefly though as she makes to reach for the remote but Hadrian beats her to it and shoves it beneath his body.

"I'm watching."

He doesn't look up from where he is studying his picture carefully and Rosalie sighs in exasperation.

"You're not watching. You're reading your file, which by the way is meant to private. It's your school records."

"Yeah, I know. Where'd they get this photo anyway? I don't remember ever taking school photo's at Hogwarts. And why are there so many pages?"

Rosalie shrugs and makes to grab the remote again, but Hadrian pushes it further beneath his body, out of her reach.

"They don't. I think Dumbledore took the photo somehow though. Magic probably. Apparently he used to keep a file like that on all the students. I'm not sure though if yours is just extra long because of who you are, or if all the files are this in depth."

"Really? Hmm."

"Yes, I was surprised too. Minerva says it's a Hogwarts teachers' secret."

Hadrian hums as he rifles through more papers. Rosalie, giving up on her failed task, collapses (albeit, gracefully) on top of Hadrian's feet. He manages to save his feet at the last minute and instead settles for draping them unceremoniously over Rosalie's lap.

"There's teachers reports and everything. Even all of my past years school records. Oh wow! It's even got a list of all the times I got detention, and all the points I've won and lost. Damn this file is extensive. I'm not sure whether or not I have the right to feel violated."

Rosalie rolls her eyes as she returns back to filing her nails. Turning paper pages is the only sound that permeates the room before Hadrian freezes.

"What the hell?! Why is there a list of my friends…? And there's even a list of my _acquaintances_?"

Papers flip faster as Hadrian rapidly searches through the texts on the pages.

"Why the hell is there a list of my relationships? I take it back; this is a major violation of my privacy! I'm pretty sure that this goes against my human rights. Sweet Merlin are those _photo's_ of me and-?!!"

Sniggering meets his ears as Hadrian glares at his mother figure at the foot of the couch. She waves a hand imperiously and waves off his worries.

"Don't worry about that. Those last few pages were added by Black and Lupin. If you're going to enroll at that High School then I promise to remove those pages."

"Remove the pages?! I'm going to burn them!! This is a complete invasion of privacy! When I see Sirius and Remus again I'm going to-"

"Oh don't worry sweetie, I have more copies in our safety vault in that Swiss Bank Account we opened up last year."

A brief silence before,

"Mother?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I do hate you sometimes."

She pats his feet condescendingly,

"Of course sweetheart."

Hadrian slumps back in his seat and buries his face in his arms. He tries to ignore the soothing noises that his mother is making as she strokes his feet with her elbow, filing her nails all the while.

"So have you decided yet?"

Hadrian groans at the question.

"Decided what? Where I'm going to hide Black and Lupin's bodies after I kill them?"

"Ha ha, funny. I meant, have you decided on whether or not you're going to enroll at Forks High School?"

He shakes his head and clucks his tongue.

"Nah. Figure I'll stop by the Police Station later in the week with my High School Diploma and tell Charlie that I've already graduated. You know, so that no-one tries to cause trouble by reporting us to the Education Board or wherever."

"I thought you were considering going? You said that it might even be a nice experience or something."

"Screw the experience; I just don't want to deal with homework again."

"Good enough."

--

There were many things that Hadrian had done through the years that he wasn't proud of. He'd killed mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. He'd gotten his friends almost killed more times than he could count, and he'd gotten good friends killed when they'd chosen to fight by his side. But Hadrian had also done many things that he would do all over again if it ever came to it. He'd killed Peter Pettigrew after 3 days of hearing him beg for the release of death. The ministry called it a vile act of vengeance and covered it up by informing the public Pettigrew had died in battle (it wouldn't do after all for the symbol of the Light to be seen as a vendetta driven monster). Hadrian called it payback for the severing charm that had been thrown at Rosalie's turned back as she ripped Fenrir Greyback to shreds. He'd disappeared for the 3 days that Rosalie had been in the Hospital Wing after being hit by an Incendio Solarum from the wand of Dolores Umbridge during a fight that had broken out in the ruins of what used to be the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. No-one had mentioned his disappearance when he turned up just in time to be at Rosalie's side when she'd woken up. And still no-one had spoken when, the next week, Umbridge's body had turned up mutilated beyond recognition, drained of all her blood. There were many more acts that were just as cruel that he'd committed, but he'd made sure that during all those times, his mother knew nothing. Hadrian liked to think of it as repayment for everything his mother had sacrificed for him. He made sure that anyone that hurt, or who even _considered_ hurting his mother, ended up dying in horrific ways. Hadrian had thought that he'd put those thoughts behind him though. The people who mattered knew that touching Rosalie was tantamount to signing a death wish and those that didn't matter knew through Urban Myth that anyone who touched Lady Hale died gruesomely. So it was with surprise that Hadrian picked up the ringing phone a week after their arrival in Forks and realized through the conversation that there were a few more people to add to his 'Must Die Soon' list.

"Hale residence, Hadrian speaking, how my I help you?"

Rosalie had decided to relieve temporary boredom by shopping for new shoes. Hadrian had decided to forgo the shopping spree in favour of exploring more of the surrounding forest.

"Hadrian, good, I'm glad I caught you. Is your mother home?"

"No, she's out shopping. Would you like to leave a message, Kingsley?"

On the phone, Hadrian could hear the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt tighten with worry.

"Is something wrong, Kingsley?"

"No, well, not yet anyway. I just called to warn you. According to my men the Cullen's made an abrupt leave of Alaska yesterday. It took a while to find out why, but we have reason to believe that the empath ran into a singer and couldn't control himself. Auror Danes is adamant that his eyes are still amber, so we can only assume that he killed her but didn't drink her blood."

Hadrian's eyes darkened to an impossible black. He ran a hand through his hair before twirling a lock around a finger and pulling it harshly.

"Do you know where they will be moving?"

"That's the first problem. The youngest is married to a Bella Swann. Her father is the Chief of Police of Forks. I've read through the reports and she seems sentimental about her father. We managed to obtain their phone records and it looks like she calls him every night."

"Let me guess. They're moving back to Forks."

The silence was enough to prove him right. Hadrian sighed into the receiver,

"I guess that means mother and I will be moving to Alaska in the next few days."

The hesitant pause that Kingsley gave before answering was enough for Hadrian to prepare for the worst.

"And that brings us to our second problem."

Hadrian couldn't help himself, he groaned in exasperation.

"The Alaskan State Authorities aren't exactly happy about another singer death. Apparently they've had a spate of them in the past 5 months, so the Magical State Law Enforcement are cracking down on vampires. It would be best if you stayed away from there for a while."

"Let me get this straight. The Cullen's are moving back to Forks and my mother and I are stuck here because it's pretty much the only safe place that is sufficiently overcast in the entire of the United States of bleeding America."

"Yeah… That's pretty much it."

It was another few minutes before Hadrian could find his voice again. He decided to employ a tactic that had never failed him in the past. He decided to ignore it, for the time being at least.

"How's Teddy?"

"Good, good. He's started talking a bit more now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Goes around calling Andy 'Ga-Ma'."

"And what's he been calling you?" Hadrian asked.

"Ga-Pa. Andy wants Teddy to have a grandfather figure. She intends to tell him everything when he's old enough to understand everything. I… I'll admit I was a bit nervous about who I was going to be for Teddy, but I guess it's all worked out."

"Then I'm glad for you, Kingsley."

"Yeah, you know Teddy's been asking about you."

"Really?"

"Well, sort of. It's mainly just 'Ha-dy'."

Hadrian laughed in to the phone.

"Bring him over sometime. You know Mom and I don't mind babysitting so you and Andy can get some time together."

It was Kingsley that laughed this time,

"I think I'll take you up on that offer soon actually."

"Sure, just call us before you drop him off."

"Okay then, well I have to run. Harry, do me a favour?'

"Depends."

"At the very least, get rid of the bodies. Covering up murders is one thing, but making a dead body disappear is a lot harder than you think."

Hadrian laughed loudly as Kingsley said his goodbyes.

"Remember to tell your Mom I said Hi."

An hour later, finds Hadrian sitting at the dining room table, tapping elegant fingers against the polished wood. He tries thinking of other places that he and Rosalie could perhaps move to, but he knows that it is a foolish hope. Forks was, after all, the only option they'd had. He considers making the Cullen's move somewhere else, but disregards it. His foremost thought however, is what will happen when the Cullen's arrive. He knows they will want to re-establish ties with Rosalie, but should he let them? As a good son he should probably let them bury the hatchet and reconcile their feelings. Hadrian pauses in his thoughts, and quickly discards the idea faster than Crabbe and Goyle polishing off a chocolate cake. Screw what a good son would do, he intends to bring the Cullen family to its knees. By the end of it, Emmett Cullen will be wishing he was six feet under.

--

"We can't tell them. You know how Bella can get. She'll start insisting that we find Rosalie just to make Emmett happier. Not to mention what Emmett would say, and Edward would be adamant about it as well!"

"What else are we meant to do, Alice? Just pretend that you didn't have a vision about Rosalie? The _first _vision ever since she abandoned us?"

Alice rounds on Jasper as she wrenches her arm from his grip. Behind them, Esme and Carlisle watch cautiously.

"Abandoned us? She walks in on the love of her life with some other girl fucking like rabbits and you're holding a grudge because she _abandoned_ us?!"

"She left! It doesn't matter-"

"IT DAMN WELL DOES MATTER!"

Alice whirls around, eyes blazing as she stares Jasper down, despite her diminutive height.

"What Emmett did was _unforgivable_ and Rosalie was right in walking out. You want to know why I _really_ don't want to tell Emmett about my vision?! It's because he doesn't _deserve_ to know where she is. He doesn't fucking deserve anything to do with her. After what he put her through he's already given up any and all claims to anything related to Rosalie!!"

There is silence as the words sink in. After Emmett, Alice had taken it the hardest after Rosalie had left. There was never any note. Just a few of her odds and ends missing. The family had known that Alice had been mad at Emmett for what he'd done, but they'd never considered that she'd still managed to nurse the resentment against him.

"Alice," Jasper pleads desperately, "This isn't just about Emmett, Alice. I want to know where my sister is, and I know for a fact that you do too. Don't you think that Esme and Carlisle would like to know how Rosalie is? What she's been doing since she left?"

There is stillness before Alice shakes her head furiously.

"Emmett doesn't deserve to know anything about Rosalie after what he did… And neither do we."

--

When Rosalie met a witch for the first time, she'd been so surprised that her usual scathing comments had died in her throat. She'd ran as far as she could as fast as she could. Emmett had been suffocating her with his usual overbearing concern and the fact that Tanya had come to stay with them for some time was still a sore spot in her opinion. It was disgusting the way the cow threw herself at Edwards like she was some loose whore. She raced through the country side, trees flying past her. It was as she was passing an isolated clearing that she stopped and had to backtrack to make sure that she'd seen exactly what she'd thought she'd seen. She crept to the edge of the clearing and watched with bated breath.

There were 5 of them. An adult woman supervising 4 young children as they… Flew around her on… Brooms?

They were dressed normally enough, and they smelled entirely human. Except for a sharp tang in the air around them that smelled like, what Rosalie would come to know as, high voltage electricity. She'd only been standing there for a few minutes before the woman seemed to stiffen sharply.

She tossed auburn hair over her shoulders and threw a winning smile at the children as they laughingly chased each other just a few feet above the ground.

"Children! Children!"

The children stopped and hovered in mid air as they all turned to her.

"Stay here, don't move. I'll be setting up a barrier. I just need to check something."

The children seemed to freeze at the words and simultaneously, they grabbed identical necklaces around their necks. They were simple enough. A small gold coin on a plain gold chain. They all landed, clumsily, and as one, they all sat down on the floor of the clearing, their brooms clutched tightly in shaking hands. They were quiet the entire way through.

The woman pulled a stick from the voluminous pockets of her dress and waved it briefly around the children. There was a shimmer of light as a sort of domed wall seemed to envelope the children, before the light faded and left only the white faced kids.

She turned away then, walked decisively towards where Rosalie was standing, and the entire time she clutched at the stick like it was her last lifeline. This was more than enough for Rosalie to feel confused about.

By nature vampires had a scent that naturally repelled other living creatures. Some animals could actually smell it. Others, like humans felt it like it was a suffocating sheet of fear that permeated the air around them. It was beyond odd that this woman seemed to be walking towards danger as opposed to away from it. Why was she coming closer when she should in fact be running with the children? What was she?

The young woman stopped just a few feet before the edge clearing. Rosalie didn't try hiding; she stepped out from the cover of the trees and stood in clear view in the light shadows of the forest canopy. The woman became increasingly agitated at the sight of Rosalie. Her heart beat sped up by astronomical amounts and Rosalie could make out small beads of sweat that broke out over her forehead.

"I-I" She stuttered.

Rosalie couldn't tell you why she did what she did. Looking back, she can't even begin to explain why she'd even considered placating the human. It may have had something to do with the cowering children that she could see over the auburn haired woman's shoulder, it may have not. Regardless, for some reason, Rosalie offered the stuttering woman a small encouraging smile.

It seemed to calm her down, because she smiled back. A small nervous grin that made her appear even younger then she already looked.

"Yo-Your eyes. They're gold."

This seemed to encourage the young lady even further. She moved closer, until she was just out of arms reach from the vampire. She pocketed the stick and offered a shaking hand.

"My name is Caroline."

Her accent was soft, cultured. Her hands, Rosalie noticed, were smooth and unmarred. It was obvious that she'd never worked a day in her life. But what was a woman like this doing in the middle of nowhere?

Rosalie took the hand and despite the flinch that Caroline gave at the freezing skin contact, the human still refrained from pulling her hand away, and for that Rosalie had to respect her.

"My name's Rosalie."

As they separated, Caroline stepped back into the light of the clearing and turned to the children. She gave a cheery grin and waved vigorously. Rosalie could see as the tension visibly faded from view and the children began talking amongst themselves with small smiles plastered on their faces.

"You don't drink human blood, do you?" Caroline asked as she turned back.

Rosalie, caught off guard, shook her head slightly and Caroline sighed in relief.

"That's good to know. How old are you?"

She blinked at the inane question and found herself blurting out the first answer that came to her mind.

"18."

"And how long have you been 18?"

The question was delivered with such seriousness that Rosalie couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

It felt good to laugh at something so inconsequential. She hadn't laughed in such a long time. Her relationship with Emmett had turned to nothing but shouting matches and cold silences. Her relationship with the rest of her family was just as strained. It had become so bad lately that she'd been seeking refuge in the silent forests of Washington State. And through it all, she'd just been so angry lately. So ruthlessly mad that she didn't even know why anymore.

"A few hundred years."

Caroline laughed at the answer and half turned back to the children that were playing happily. She turned her head back to Rosalie who watched the small humans with such a longing that Caroline couldn't help but think that in the shadowed light of the forest canopy, Rosalie looked incredibly lonely.

"How long have you been drinking animal blood?"

"Ever since I was turned."

The shock on Caroline's face was evident.

"How do you know so much about me, about vampires?"

"I'm a witch."

This time it was Rosalie's shock that was written clear over her face.

"Witches aren't real."

"This coming from the walking corpse?"

The line was delivered so sarcastically that Rosalie was inclined to believe her just for the way she could catch Rosalie off guard. But what she said also made a weird sort of sense. The brooms that the children had been flying. The stick, _wand_, that Rosalie knew was nestled in the pockets of Caroline's dress. All the signs were there, the question was if Rosalie wanted to read them.

--

When Rosalie walks in through the front door, her arms are laden with so many bags that if she had been human, Hadrian would have wondered how exactly how she had managed to walk so much as two steps. She walks through the front door wearing a shit-eating grin that envelops half her face. Hadrian knows that something happened while she was shopping. When he makes his query though, it is sarcastic and biting.

"Shopping was that good, huh?"

Rosalie laughs as she makes her way to the living room. She dumps her bags in an enormous pile on the couch opposite the television and reclines gracefully in another leather armchair.

"Yes. Shopping was just… _Amazing_."

Her grin turns just this side of sadistic and Hadrian has an inkling about what may have occurred. It happens, after all, every time Rosalie goes anywhere where there are a large collection of men.

"You screwed up another marriage, didn't you?"

When the grin gets even brighter, Hadrian knows he's spot on.

"Okay, what happened?"

"Well, I was in this quaint little shoe store trying on the latest Gucci pumps, red because it complements my skin tone the best-"

"Mother…" Hadrian sighs in frustration.

"Okay, okay! To cut a long story short, your mother is apparently so good looking that even straight married women want her." She taps a finger against her chin thoughtfully as she loses herself trying to recall the moment, "I don't think her husband appreciated it that much, though." She snorts at the idea and breaks into laughter.

There is an exasperated outtake of air as the words sink through Hadrian's mind.

"You're stuck on an ego trip, aren't you?"

The sheepish grin his mother rewards him with is enough of an answer.

"It's an ego boost! How many mothers with a 17 year old son look as good as I do, and are still capable of making straight married women want to sleep with her?"

It is disbelief that is written all over Hadrian's face, but Rosalie knows her son well enough to know that he too is amused by it.

"Was she hot?"

She throws a nearby cushion at Hadrian's face. It does little damage as Hadrian lets the cushion bounce off as if it had hit a brick wall. She does however, manage to grace her son with a nod.

"I'd be interested if she weren't human."

Hadrian breaks out into peals of laughter as he throws himself on the couch laden with the bags from Rosalie's shopping spree.

"Wow, Mom!" It is apparent that if Hadrian was human he would be having trouble breathing, "Didn't know you batted for both teams."

Rosalie raises an eyebrow imperiously.

"I'm one hundred per cent straight, _mon cherie_, I just happen to have an appreciation for beauty and experimentation too."

She says it matter-of-factly, but there is a cheekiness there that Hadrian hasn't seen since before his time at Hogwarts. It is in this moment that Hadrian thinks that moving to Forks may have been the best decision they have ever made.

_--_

Caroline throws a smile over her shoulder to Rosalie, but despite this, Rosalie still isn't sure.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

"Oh sweetheart, don't worry."

Rosalie knows that this is the most weakness she has ever shown in front of a person that has not been part of her family, but she can't help but not care for the moment.

The younger human woman takes her wand from her pocket and flicks it efficiently at where the children are seated together on the ground. There is the smallest flicker before it disappears and Rosalie thinks that the barrier that Caroline had set up has been removed.

"Children!" Caroline calls loudly, "Come here! I want you all to meet someone!"

They come rushing over, like flies to honey, clothes flying as they try to beat one another to where Caroline stands just feet away from the edge of the forest.

When they arrive they are grinning from ear to ear. They each grab hold of some piece of Caroline's long skirts and all stare intensely up at her face.

She kneels down and forces them away from her. They line up looking curious. There is no hint of fear in their eyes, no hint of wariness. It amazes Rosalie, and makes her just a little in awe of these small fearless creatures that she has never had the privilege of knowing.

In the past, Esme and Carlisle had been adamant about staying away from human children. Rosalie had asked, pleaded even, on more than one occasion for the chance to bring up a child as if they were her own, but she'd been denied each time. There was too much danger in housing a human child with them at all times. So Rosalie had just made sure to stay away from children. It hurt less when she didn't have to see a reminder of what she couldn't have.

'Now children. I want you to meet a friend of mine. She's not like us, so please play nice."

"Is she a muggle, Miss Davidson?" One girl asked in wonder.

The other children gasped as one, as if the thought of them meeting a muggle was tantamount to proving a myth true.

Caroline laughs at the question, but declines from answering. Instead she straightens and uses one hand to beckon Rosalie closer.

Rosalie obliges her and steps closer, but stops herself from actually entering the clearing. Instead she stands in the shade, just a scant few inches away from the sunlight.

"Ooooohhh…" They all squeal as one. It is the girl that spoke before that speaks again.

"She's so pretty!!"

"Now children, introduce yourself before you start throwing around compliments." Caroline laughs.

The girl from before steps forward first. Offers a short curtsey before her introduction comes tumbling from her mouth faster than a human is usually capable of,

"My name's Scarlett, I'm 7. What's your name? You're so pretty! Are you entirely human? It's just that my uncle's wife, Helene is half-siren and she's really, really, really pretty too. Are you half-siren? That would be so cool! Do you think if I were half-siren I'd be as pretty as you and Aunt Helene? Do you-"

"Scarlett, that's enough."

Red tints Scarlett's cheeks as she blushes prettily,

"Sorry Miss Davidson." She mumbles before stepping back.

The next introductions are faster, and less informative. Corrine is the next girl and the last two boys are twin brothers, Chadwick and Christopher.

"Now children, can any of you guess what Rosalie is?"

Rosalie isn't sure whether she should feel like a freak show or not, but the children seem eager in trying to sort out what exactly she is and their excitement is contagious.

"Siren!" Scarlett, of course.

"No way! Her eyes are amber! She's a werewolf!" Corrine.

"Werewolves aren't the only ones with amber eyes, I say she's human but the eyes are a side-effect of an animagus form."

Christopher's guess is met with disbelief and loud snorts of laughter, but it is Chadwick's guess that has them falling into contemplative silence.

"Vampire."

The children still for a moment before they look up into Rosalie's face with great scrutiny.

It is Scarlett that begins the turn of the conversation all over again.

"Amber eyes would mean that she's been drinking animal blood."

Corrine nods thoughtfully, "She's also been standing in the shade since she got here. Most likely because of her skin condition."

It is Caroline who breaks Rosalie out of her dazed stupor with her exuberant exclamation,

"Congratulations, children! That's exactly right. Now, why don't you stop dissecting Miss Rosalie like a science experiment and start talking to her like a real person."

The children blush in embarrassment but still, they shuffle forward nervously. Rosalie isn't quite sure how to react. This is an experience that has never happened to her before.

--

They arrive back in Forks during the night, two weeks after leaving Alaska. They have taken their time in getting back, spending as much time as they could, taking in the sights on the way down.

Buying back their old house is easy enough and hiring moving trucks is just as simple. Carlisle and Esme have agreed to go on ahead of the rest of the family. Carlisle believes that it would be better to integrate themselves slowly back into the community. They had, after all, left abruptly months before when they'd moved to Alaska.

By the next day, the residents of Forks are already aware that the Cullen family are back in town. When Carlisle returns to the hospital to take back his old job, there are questions and Carlisle finds it simple enough to lie about why they are back. They have already devised a way to deal with the question. It is unproblematic to use the large spate of murders in the south of Alaska to their advantage and claim that fear had driven them out of the lone state. The doctors and nurses are sympathetic with their words, but still rumours spread about other wild accusations of why they are really back. There are inquiries about the rest of the family, about whether or not they will all be returning. The lies fall easily from Carlisle's lips, but within them there are still some nuggets of truth.

Alice and Jasper will arrive the next day, followed by Emmet and Tanya, and finally Edward, Bella and Renesmee. It has already been decided however, that for the sake of safety, the family would stick to the story that Edward and Bella would be remaining in Alaska with the young child that they had adopted. Charlie and the wolves at La Push would be the only ones out of the family that would know the truth. Or, in Charlie's case, as close to truth as you could get without actually spelling everything out.

--

Hadrian had procrastinated about going to see Charlie down at the police station. He didn't have any excuse just that he hadn't felt like going. But after two weeks, Hadrian figured he had procrastinated long enough. Better to nip any trouble in the bud before Social Services and teachers were knocking at the door and scrutinizing his life. He'd asked his mother if she wanted to come but she'd declined citing illness. It was an ongoing joke that had cultivated from a one liner from Hadrian when he had first been trying to get used to the novelty of being a vampire. It was as Hadrian had just grabbed his car keys from the key rack that the voice of his mother echoed from the room next door. She must have been screaming rather loudly if Hadrian could hear her so clearly.

Hadrian pokes his head through the door.

"Make sure to take your school records with you when you go, baby."

"Why would I want to do that? All I have to do is show him my Diploma."

Rosalie's voice is derisive when she answers,

"Do you know how easy it is to fake a High School Diploma? Take your file. It'll add credit to your story."

"How the hell am I meant to take my file? If you haven't noticed, Police Chief Swann is a muggle, and despite his dim-witted looks, I do believe he'd notice the word 'magic' that crops up, oh I don't know, every 3 sentences!"

"Take the muggle-friendly version then."

"Muggle-friendly version?"

It is said slowly as though Hadrian is trying the words on for size.

"Sweetheart, you'll never find the right partner for you if you're always this slow."

"Mother!" There is a scandalized tone, but Rosalie plows on, thinking nothing of it.

"In my study, in the top draw, there's a file there with your name on it in red ink. That's the muggle-friendly version of your actual school file."

Hadrian takes a few moments to stand in the doorway in shock. Despite her nonchalant attitude his mother really was good at thinking everything through.

It took him just a few moments to race to the third floor and grab his file from his mothers study. Flipping through it is an effortless task. Without the pages violating his most intimate secrets, the file is actually quite short.

Within minutes, he is out the door, car racing through the deserted road that will lead him back to civilization.

The drive is faster than it should have been, but soon enough Hadrian can see the outline of the Forks main town in the horizon. He slows considerably. No point in making a bad impression on the man he's about to see. Entering town is a bit odd for Hadrian. He's never been to a small town like this before. Even Hogsmeade had about twice Forks' population, and that was on a bad day. He's spent his life growing up in high profile cities and over-populated suburbs, so the fact that a town can be so small and still manage to survive is quite a revelation for the youngest Hale. He spends a few minutes cruising through town trying to find the local Police Station, but for some reason, even with his enhanced eyesight he still can't manage to find even a hint of a sign anywhere. He ignores the stares he gets for his car. It is most likely that the cost of his car could (and probably would) be enough for the townsfolk to survive off of for the next ten years… maybe even twenty.

Five minutes later and impatience sets in. He is sick of all the awed looks he can see every time he drives down a road and all he wants is to find the damned Police Station so that he can go home and do something more productive then driving around a small town looking like a creepy rich rapist, looking around for his next target. He gets fed up and settles for pulling up in front of the diner that his mother had pointed out when they'd driven through the first day they'd arrived here. He takes a few moments to calm himself down and fix on a smile. He uses the rearview mirror to check his eyes and smiles when emerald orbs stare back from the reflective surface. As he slides out of the driver's seat he notices that the diner is oddly full, but then remembers that today is a Saturday. The diner must be a regular congregation point for the local school children, because there are a large number of teens inside. Hadrian however sneers at the thought. He has to thank Merlin that he never has to deal with teenage assholes going through puberty ever again. It was bad enough going through it once with his friends, he was indefinitely glad he'd decided to forgo the choice of attending High School in Forks.

As he walks into the diner the noise level drops so quickly that Hadrian is slightly surprised that he hasn't suffered whiplash. The smell of lust rises to drastic new heights and even though he pretends not to notice, Hadrian has to hold back an inner sneer at the sheer brazenness of all the stares. He settles though, for waiting patiently in line at the counter. There are 3 people in front of him. It shouldn't take long.

He should've known that he'd spoken too soon.

The woman first in line orders Spaghetti Bolognese and Hadrian lets his eyes drift over the interior of the diner. It seems to be cozy enough. There were large windows looking out on to what Hadrian supposes could be called the town square… If you used the term loosely. It is as his eyes are roving over a small bookshop across the road that he hears the sound of a pair of feet stutter in their walk and before he knows it, there is a warm, breathing body latching itself against his side. He grimaces at the use of the tactic and inwardly curses his mother for not accompanying him here. At least when Rosalie was around, other women were too intimidated by her sheer beauty that they tended to leave Hadrian alone. He glances down at the body wrapped around his waist and coolly removes the offending limbs that are invading his personal space. His face is blank as he looks in to the vapid face of the delinquent. She's pretty, in a human way. But Hadrian spends the majority of his time being surrounded by a woman that is so unnaturally beautiful that nothing he has ever seen has ever compared. It is because of this that Hadrian has never fallen for a 'pretty face'.

"Wow, thanks for saving me like that."

Hadrian raises an eyebrow at the blatant flirting. Her eyes are fluttering so much he's positive that halfway around the world, a country has lost half its population to a cyclone. The top two of her shirt buttons are undone so that Hadrian has a clear view of her lace bra. It's sickening how the girls in America seem to be exact carbon copies of the girls that he's spent the past few years running away from back home.

"Actually you saved yourself."

He releases her quickly and turns back to the front counter, pretending that he can't see her disappointed face or the way she shuffles closer, despite the space he has created between them.

"My name's Jessica."

Hadrian turns to her briefly and thanks Merlin that the person in front of him is finally finishing up his order,

"That's nice.'

The woman behind the counter calls out, "Next." and Hadrian walks as quickly as possible to the counter.

She isn't wearing a name tag but by the way the others had treated her and the way she seemed to know everyone that had ordered before, Hadrian assumes that she owns the quaint diner that he finds himself in.

He ignores the putrid smell of greasy food as he offers a winning smile.

"What can I get you, sweetheart?"

Hadrian bites back the urge to tell her that he is most definitely not her sweetheart. He has only ever been comfortable with his own mother using endearments towards him.

"Sorry, I'm not actually here for food. I was wondering if you could give me some directions?"

She smiles back warmly and Hadrian thanks Godric's grave that he cannot smell any lust emanating from her.

"Sure, darling. You look new enough anyway. You just passing through? I've never seen you around here before."

Hadrian can practically feel the hyenas as they turn their heads towards their newest prey. Most likely this conversation will be relayed to the entirety of the population of Forks by tonight.

"Uh-well, sort of."

He plasters on a sheepish grin as fake as the woman's highlights.

"My Mom bought a house about an hour's drive out of here."

"Oh, your family moved here?"

"No, just my Mom, but I'll be in and out a lot so I guess you can count me in as well."

"Just the two of you then?'

"Yep. Just the two of us."

Hadrian knows that everyone in the diner is listening in to the conversation, so he tries to keep his answers as short as possible.

"So where'd you like directions to, hun?"

"Um, actually I was wondering if you could point me to the Police Station?"

The woman behind the counter looks confused at the strange request.

"You in some kind of trouble, darlin'?"

He easily laughs it off, and plays his charm card twice.

"No, I'm trying to find Charlie."

"Oh, you're friends with Charlie?"

"Of a sort."

When the woman realizes that an elaboration of the answer will not be forthcoming, she moves on.

"Well it's actually just up the road."

"Really? I've been up and down this road a few times already and didn't see a sign."

She laughs as though he's just told her a joke.

"Oh no, there isn't a sign. Tradition, you see. About 50 years ago there was a fire and only two buildings were left standing. The larger one was chosen as the Town Hall and the smaller one was turned into the Police Station. We've kept it that way ever since. The interior has changed a bit, but the exterior hasn't changed ever since, including the fact that the building in question never actually had a sign."

Hadrian nods thoughtfully as if he finds this extremely interesting, but he wishes in his mind that she'd shut up already.

"The Police Station is 4 shops up that way, on the opposite side of the street. It's the building with the red roof and black door."

He is genuinely glad when he tosses the woman a quick good-bye and another charismatic smile.

He walks out of the diner and before he has even closed the door, conversation within the diner picks up,

"Did you see that-"

"- family must be well off-"

"-at that car! That must've cost a fortune!"

"- probably old money, you know-"

"-so cute! He doesn't look that much older-"

"-has a girlfriend? I didn't see a ring or-"

Hadrian is rolling his eyes as he climbs into his car. Reversing is smooth and controlled, he doesn't even need to look into the rearview mirror. He drives down the road again and as he does he finally spots the building that he knows now is the Police Station. There is only a single police cruiser parked outside.

Charlie is the only person there when Hadrian arrives. There are three other distinct scents that Hadrian can smell, he thinks that perhaps these are the three other people that work in the Police Station as well. But there is also another scent that permeates the air. All over Charlie, as if hanging over him like a dark cloud, is the unique scent of wet dog. Charlie must spend a lot of time around the shifters if he smells this bad, Hadrian finds it easy to ignore the smell though. He did spend a year getting used to the idea of having a werewolf teacher, not to mention the fact that he spent copious amounts of time with Sirius and according to Rosalie, Black smelled ten times worse than even the werewolves.

Charlie is tapping away at his computer, but his head turns up quickly when he hears the door open,

"Hadrian Hale, what bring you here?"

He seems to be unusually happy, which makes Hadrian think vaguely of Cheering Charms. He thinks also that maybe the Police Chief has learned that his daughter will be returning.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh really? Take a seat then."

He sits as directed.

"I just wanted to explain something to you because Mom doesn't want Social Workers knocking on the door with police officers outside."

Charlie looks at him quizzically despite the fact that Hadrian is laughing.

"Anyway, I'm 17 and I just want you to know that I've already graduated from Secondary School."

"Why are you telling me?"

"I figured if someone had a complaint they'd come to you, and you could, you know, stop the trouble before it actually breaks out. My Mom likes her privacy, you see, and she wouldn't appreciate people barging into our lives for the sake of my education."

Charlie nods in understanding.

"You got the documents to prove your graduation?"

Hadrian pulls his Diploma out easily enough and also hands over his file.

Charlie flips through it and nods every now again.

"Looks like you used to be a bit of a trouble maker. Got a pretty fine number of detentions under your belt there."

Hadrian laughs easily at the veiled question and is forthcoming with his answers,

"Yeah, most of it was petty stuff. You know, pranking rival houses and all that."

Charlie laughs too at this and it is enough for them to start speaking amicably to one another like long time friends.

It is another 10 minutes before Hadrian leaves. They have spent the time dissecting Hadrian's file and laughing at the troubles that he has suffered through in school. It is easy enough for Hadrian to change his stories slightly to reflect a muggle school. He is not worried about Charlie checking into his background at the school. Both Kingsley and his mother have made sure to create a paper trail so long that it would seem as if Hadrian Hale had been around in the muggle world ever since his 'birth'.

--

"You took your time."

Hadrian hasn't even been home a few seconds before his mother starts talking.

"Hmm… It took me a while to find the Police Station."

"What did Charlie say?"

"He said it was smart of me to see him. Says he'll let it slip to the people who matter that I've already graduated from Secondary already. You know, teachers, the principal of Forks High."

"That's nice of him."

"Yes, it was. Also, I needed to get directions to the Police Station, so I stopped by the diner. I told the lady there that I'll be in and out of Forks but that you moved here permanently."

"Why's that?"

"I don't want to get harassed by single mothers and single daughters. It'll be easier if I just avoid going to town and they can think that I'm away for the time being."

Rosalie couldn't care less about the lies that Hadrian seems to be throwing around like water, but she knows she is only being informed so that if someone were to question her, she will know what to say.

She's reading a magazine, idly flipping the pages as her eyes skim through the articles.

"I'm bored. Want to go hunting?"

Hadrian pauses and considers the request.

"Sure."

--

There is an underlying tension in the house when the Cullen's have all arrived, once again back where it all started. Not all of the occupants of the house, however, are aware of it. Alice has been adamant about not informing the rest of the family. Though Esme and Carlisle had objected at first, they know that the choice is Alice's and they will respect that. The visions, after all, are hers to share or not. It is Jasper that has been the most vocal at telling the rest of his siblings. It is Jasper that wants to track down Rosalie now that they know that somewhere, she is safe and she is happy. But he loves Alice more then he loves his sister, and definitely more then he loves Emmett. He will oblige by her choice even if he himself does not agree with it.

It is two days after they have all finally arrived, that Tanya offers to take Renesmee for the day so that Bella and Edward can enjoy some time for themselves. They are grateful for the reprieve, because though they love their daughter more than the world, it has been a long time since they have had time to enjoy one another's company with just the two of them.

Emmett has once again disappeared into the forest that surrounds Forks. Forks has always given him bittersweet memories. Though he has had many joyous times here, this is also the place where he made the worst mistake of his life as well. It is hard for him to see Edward and Bella together, so happy. Harder still is seeing Alice and Jasper. Emmett knows that Rosalie meant the world to Alice and Jasper. Rosalie was Jaspers sister after all, and though Bella has somewhat filled the void, Emmett knows that Alice and Jasper still harbor hard feelings for what he did to force Rosalie to leave. There was no good-bye, no note. One day she was there and the next she wasn't and there isn't a day that goes by that Emmett doesn't regret what he did. It is as he is passing the eastern boundary that Emmett freezes. There is the faintest scent in the air that makes him pause. A scent that sends him crashing back through the past. Back to golden hair and a bell-like laugh. He follows the scent, like a fish being reeled in. He finds himself in a clearing. There is nothing distinguishing about it. It is just one of the many clearings that pop up every now and again within the Forks forest, but there is something here in this clearing that the others lack. It is dull, most likely because of the rain and time, but Emmett thinks it may also be because he believes that he is imagining everything. He has never had much of an imagination, but he would not put it past his own mind to recreate this scent just to prolong his torment, just to make him even more desperate for repentance. The smell of the La Push wolves is the most dominate, but underneath there are two scents that Emmett can smell. It is the fainter smell that his concentration is focused on. There is nothing unnatural about it, but the smell is so distinctly Rosalie that it hurts. Mainly it is the smell of lavender, with a brush of vanilla and just the faintest hint of roses. The scent sends his mind reeling and it is in this clearing, surrounded by a scent that reminds him so strongly of Rosalie that Emmett falls to his knees and heaves dry sobs.

--

The silver Volvo pulls up in front of Charlie Swann's household easily enough. It is night, the only time that it is safe to visit Charlie at the moment. Too many people know what Bella looked like as a human and it would bring up too many questions if anyone were to see the drastic changes that have undergone her.

Charlie is at the door the moment he hears the car pull up. He hasn't asked why it is important that no-one knows that Bella has returned, he is just happy that he can see his daughter more then he has in the past two months since she left.

Conversation is simple. What have they been up to since they left, how college up in Alaska had been for the brief time that they were there, how Renesmee is, the usual questions for a returning child.

It is as they sink into simple pleasantries that Edward feels himself figuratively run head on into a brick wall.

"You know, it's funny that you guys are moving back right now. A new family moved in about two weeks back as well."

Edward isn't concentrating too much to the conversation, but he instantly zones right back in when he gets a glimpse of a golden beauty in the mindscape of Charlie.

He delves in to Charlie's mind carefully and watches with unease as the images come through. There is a young man in the driver's seat of a sleek, black car. Black hair, green eyes. Edward disregards this person completely; he couldn't care less about the driver. It is the passenger that he has sole eyes for.

There are distinct similarities since she left, but there are also differences that make her look so different that Edward scarce can believe his eyes. Her hair is the same shade, gold, shiny, and still as long and luscious as ever. Her eyes are still the same shade of impossible gold and her figure is just as awe-inspiring as ever. But the differences blow Edwards mind so much that he cannot even believe them. She seems older, more mature, but there are other things that are even more apparent. There is looseness in her shoulders that makes her look more relaxed then Edward has ever seen her. Her guarded mask that she always seemed to wear is gone; instead her entire body language is open, almost friendly even. But it is her eyes that take Edwards breath away. There is a brightness there that speaks more than words ever could. They are happy and glad and grateful and so many more joyous emotions that Edward finds it hard to reconcile this purely content woman with the guarded sister that left so long ago.

"Edward?"

He turns to Bella and gives her a reassuring smile. Her brow creases in worry though. She knows him better than anyone else. She can see that there is something wrong and that it is troubling. Edward pats her hand reassuringly and turns back to Charlie with a charming smile.

"Oh really? Anybody interesting?"

Charlie smiles and nods at the question.

"Hadrian is incredibly polite. Smart too, already graduated from high school."

"Hadrian?" Edwards asks.

"Yes, the two that moved in to the old Carson Estate. Hadrian and Rosalie Hale."

It is enough to stop all of Edward's though processes. So much so, that even his mind reading abilities are temporarily put on hold too.

Before he knows it, they have said their farewells and are in the car and driving back home at break neck speed. He drives faster than ever and this scares Bella just a little.

"Edward?" She asks in worry, "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head.

"Later."

Edward doesn't know what to think. They had searched for her before, gone to every country they could think of, paid investigators enormous amounts for any lead whatsoever, but when she'd left she'd literally disappeared off the face of the Earth. But here she was. A hundred years, back where it all started and still Edward doesn't know what to think.

Soon enough they pull up before the Cullen household and Edward is out of the car in a flash. Bella is just a few moments behind him. When he reaches the living room, the entire family is assembled. Renesmee cradled in Tanya's arms. Jasper and Alice embracing next to the windows. Carlisle sitting in an armchair with Esme perched on the arm. Emmett is sitting on the floor in front of the couch. His back leaning against the piece of furniture, his head lolling backwards. His eyes are closed and to Edward it is as if he is drowning in memories of the past.

Edward doesn't know who to turn to, so he addresses the family as a whole when he finally speaks.

"Rosalie."

Heads snap to him in unison. Bella and Renesmee have only heard of Rosalie in passing, but they too are interested. It is Emmett's reaction that is the worst. There is the sound of splintering wood and his fist has gone through the hard wood floor as easy as if it were butter. In the background Tanya keeps her silence.

"What?" Emmett's whisper is softer then his voice has ever been, and it is Jasper who knows exactly what he is feeling. Clutching Alice closer, he radiates as much happiness as he can, but still it seems as if nothing can change Emmett's rapidly deteriorating mood.

The words are out faster than Edward can think them.

"Rosalie is in Forks."

Images assail Edward's mind, but there is one that is distinct, because it is almost an exact replica of what he saw through Charlie's mind.

He throws a heated glare at Alice and watches as her stance becomes defiant and the thoughts in her mind become clouded by the French national anthem.

"You knew." He hisses out. Eyes trail from Jasper to Esme to Carlisle before finally resting back on Alice.

"You all _knew_!"

Bella moves to the background with Tanya, taking her daughter back into her arms. This is a Cullen family matter, and though she is technically one as well, this is an issue that was present before she had even known the family.

"You _knew_?!" Emmett, of course. He looks at Jasper's guilty face, at Esme and Carlisle too, before turning to Alice.

"You all KNEW?!"

Jasper says nothing and neither do Esme and Carlisle. He may not have the mind reading abilities of his brother, but it is still obvious to Emmett that it is Alice that has chosen to withhold such information.

Alice's face is hard, and Emmett knows this is the reason she has been so distant lately. Why she has sought peace away from the family these past few weeks.

She shakes her tightly, "I didn't know where she was."

Emmett turns to Edward for help. He doesn't know what Edward knows.

"You had a vision of her though."

Alice glares at Edward, "Yes, I had a vision of her."

"And you didn't tell me?!" It is the angriest that they have ever seen amiable, joking Emmett.

"Why would I tell you?" Alice says it as if it is a non issue and this fuels Emmett's rage.

"Didn't you think that I deserved to know?! That I HAD THE RIGHT TO-"

"WHAT RIGHT?! DON'T YOU FUCKING TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT RIGHTS YOU HAVE!!"

Alice's voice is laced with so much bitterness and anger that it is enough to make Emmett pause momentarily.

"YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I SAW, SO MUCH?? WELL I SAW ROSALIE _HAPPY_!! HAPPIER THEN SHE HAS _EVER _BEEN WITH YOU, YOU GODDAMNED MORONIC-"

Before she can speak any further, Jasper has one arm wrapped securely around Alice's waist and his other hand clamped firmly over her mouth. She struggles against him for a time, fighting tooth and nail to get free. For a hundred years she has been considerate of her family, keeping her feelings locked away, even from Jasper, but finally she can let her emotions out and even though in the back of her mind she knows that she is probably hurting Jasper with her emotions more than Emmett, she doesn't care. Emmett deserves this. This and so much more.

Emmett is quiet as he takes it in. This is a new side of Alice that the family has never encountered before. This is the Alice that has been hiding behind her happy demeanor for the past hundred years. And Emmett knows that this is the Alice that was Rosalie's sister.

It is when Alice elbows Jasper in the stomach that she manages to free herself. He wheezes quietly behind her, but she stands herself up at her full height and stares down Emmett with eyes so dark it seems as if they disappear into black. Emmett wonders if it is her hunger that is fueling her anger, or if her anger has brought out her thirst. When she speaks her voice is filled with deadly intent,

"I may not have known where she was, but even if I had I still wouldn't have told you. You say you deserve to know where Rosalie is, but you don't. You don't deserve to know _anything_ about what Rosie's life is like. You gave up the right to that a hundred years ago, Emmett. So don't you fucking talk to me about what your _rights_ are because you don't fucking have any."

--

**Next Chapter:** Confronting - The Hale family encounter uninvited guests that don't seem inclined to leave them alone.

* * *

I can't believe this chapter ended up so long. I seriously thought it would be shorter than this, but I guess I was wrong. And boy was this a pain to proof-read =( Still, I'm just not quite sure I did this chapter justice.

Some of you may have noticed, some of you may have not. But yes, Alice's visions when concerning Rosalie are indeed delayed. Anyone care to guess why? And brownie points go to anyone who can figure out why Alice can't see Hadrian clearly in her visions ;) I know that scenes in this chapter jump from different people to different times as well. Tell me if any of you are having trouble with this.

Some of you may have also noticed that I have major trouble staying in one tense. I jump sometimes from past to present tense. Let me know how all of you feel about that.

According to one reviewer Renesmee should be about 6 years old. I actually desperately need her age because the next chapter will NOT be updated until I have it. Remember that this is two months after the end of Breaking Dawn.

I am unsure as well if Washington has laws that say that children have to be in school at certain ages. I know for a fact that parents in New Zealand can get fined if their children aren't in school. Can I get some feedback from any readers actually reading from the States? Please include what state you live in =)

About Hadrian going to Charlie to inform him that he's already graduated. I actually used to live in a really small town and I've seen this done before. It's to make sure that should Social Services come calling about children going to school, the police can deal with it by just telling them they've already graduated. I'm not sure if this would be plausible in the USA though. I figured Hadrian and Rosalie would want to get that out of the way without having to deal with idiotic humans showing up and demanding that Hadrian go to school because of his age.

And before I leave please note that I'll be gone from the 18th to the 27th. I'll still be writing, but I won't be able to upload during that time. Chapter 3 will be uploaded on the 29th of January.

Hit that Review button before you leave and if you can, please answer my questions. Oh and please tell me if any parts of this story are implausible. Thanks heaps!

- Des.


	3. Chapter 3

To begin with, **thank-you** to all the readers who were kind enough to review and point out the error that occurred in Chapter 2. Rosalie's eyes are in fact amber and it was an error in my part that I typed blue instead.

Major props to cola shmola who asked a Very Important Question. I had figured that no-one would pick up on that, but congrats for proving me wrong! High5 also to Anave Lipad who posed another Very Important Question. These will be answered somewhere around Chapter 4 (if we're lucky), or Chapter 5 (if we're not so lucky). Wow, I feel so great having such observant readers ;)

For those who have asked, a rough timeline can be found at the bottom of this chapter.

And finally, please can you all give a big hand to my amazing Beta, **femaleprongslet**.

* * *

**Confronting**

**--**

It arrives in a large crate. So large in fact, it dwarfs not only Hadrian, but Rosalie also. They have it standing in the middle of the foyer. Mother and son seem unimpressed with its size and are more then a little shocked when a courier had delivered it to their doorstep just minutes before. Only two people outside of themselves even knew where they lived, so it was quite shocking that they'd been sent something through muggle post. If Kingsley or Andy wanted them to have anything it could just be sent over through magical means. The fireplace in the house was not connected to the Floo Network, only because America didn't have a reliable Floo service. Andy and Kingsley however were more then welcome enough to apparate over with any belongings they might need to deliver.

"What do you think it is?"

"Wait a minute, I'll just turn on my X-ray vision and see." Is Hadrian's sarcastic response.

Rosalie does not take kindly to the joke and smacks him over the head. The noise echoes through the room and sounds similar to that of two boulders crashing into one another at high speeds.

"Let's open it and find out then."

She makes it sound as if they will be opening the crate together. Hadrian knows better though. He draws his wand carefully from his pocket and rapidly starts firing spells wordlessly.

During the war, they had lost many noble fighters due to unknown means. One minute they were there, the next, they'd be found dead in lounge rooms, kitchens, bedrooms. It had caused havoc amongst the rebellion group against Voldemort. Two weeks later and they'd discovered that somehow, Death Eaters had managed to circumvent the mail wards against dangerous parcels. People would receive mail that they thought were from friends and family and would end up dying due to cursed papers, or hexes that had been embedded within the envelope. Rosalie herself had nearly been taken out by an Eternal Flaming curse that had been etched into the ink of a letter that she had thought had been from Hadrian. It was Sirius that had managed to save her (not-quite) life at the last second. She'd escaped unscathed but ever since then had developed a morbid fear of unknown letters and parcels. She'd done well to hide it, but Hadrian and Sirius had still managed to pick up on the phobia. They chose, smartly, to never mention it.

"It's safe."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. As safe as it can be anyway. Stand back, I'll put up a shield and open it at the same time."

Rosalie takes a stand behind Hadrian's body and watches as a shield shimmers into life. A second later and Hadrian has fired a cutting hex at the crate. One side of it crashes open and out tumbles what looks like hay. There are mounds of it for some reason, and as the hay-like material falls out of the crate, they can finally see why. Nestled in the middle of the crate is a picture. It is the same width as the crate and it is framed by an ornate gold frame.

"Oh my…"

It's Rosalie that mutters the words under her breath, but it is Hadrian that is the most shocked. So shocked in fact, that he drops his shield unconsciously and his hand, still clutching at his wand, falls limply to his side.

He can remember this. Remember it so clearly that every day, it feels as if it were only yesterday. Hadrian remembers that Colin had placed his camera and spelled it to stick onto a nearby tree. Everyone had gathered round for the photo; all of the survivors. Hadrian can remember because it had been taken just hours after he had dealt the final blow to the late Tom Marvolo Riddle.

There had been a group of them. Though not as many as Hadrian had hoped. None of them wore wizarding robes. They had forgone the traditional clothing for practicality. The only testament to the fact that the people were indeed witches and wizards were the battle robes thrown over their muggle clothing. But even the battle robes could easily be mistaken for ornate muggle coats. All wands were sheathed and the only thing they had been armed with, were smiles.

Hadrian had stood in the middle of the photograph. At his right, his mother, and at his left, his godfather, Sirius Black. Hadrian can remember the order they had stood, from Rosalie's right there had been Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Moody and Emmeline Vance. From Sirius' left: Minerva, Remus, Snape, Lavender Brown, Padma Patil, Colin Creevey, Tracey Davies, Daphne Greengrass and Justin Finch-Fletchley. On the grass before the standing party, more survivors had sprawled: Fleur and Bill, Katarina and Imelda, Dane with his Alpha, Romulus, and his sister, Demelza Robbins, the vampire triplets Xander, Xoe and Xenna, Charlie with his dragon, Sarfy, and finally, Kingsley with his arms around Andy who holds a turquoise haired, amber-eyed Teddy.

Hadrian can remember that they had stood at the bottom of the incline leading up to Hogwarts. That the ruins of the school had stood in the background with the twigs of what remained of the Whomping Willow.

This however, is not the picture that Hadrian and Rosalie stand staring at. The picture is similar, but the differences are drastic enough to take one's breath away.

It is a painted picture. Painted so skillfully that only a master at the art could have completed it. It is only slightly smaller then a life-size drawing and it is this that makes the picture so large.

Essentially it has stayed the same, the people are in the same poses, and the grounds are the same, but the similarities end there. Instead of the ruins of Hogwarts, someone has repainted the majestic building in its entirety. Instead of the tiny stump that used to be the Whomping Willow, the artist has brought back to life the vicious tree in minute detail. To the edge of the picture, Hagrid's hut can be seen, chimney smoking, door open. Where the ground had been desolate and barren, the artist has painted lush green lawns and sprawling hills. In essence, whoever had created this has not painted what are now Hogwarts grounds, but what Hogwarts grounds had once looked like, in all her resplendent grandeur. But it is not this that takes Hadrian's breath away. It is the fact that, in the background, behind the smiling survivors, the painter has painted in more figures. Figures that Hadrian knows had died during the struggle against the Darkest Lord of the century.

In front of the open doors of Hogwarts Castle, high above all of the pictured people, a figure that looks eerily similar to Albus Dumbledore sits at the foot of the stairs. He sits alone, but despite this is smiling broadly. Hadrian knows that this is not Albus, but Aberforth Dumbledore, who gave his life to protect the students of Hogwarts after Albus had been slain months before.

Cedric Diggory sits on the hill slightly below the Headmaster's brother. Beside him, Cho Chang leans into his embrace. To one side, the vibrant figure of Tonks can be seen, one arm wrapped possessively around her smiling husband beside her. Stretched across the grounds are more figures that had given their lives to further a cause that they had all believed in. Seamus Finnegan was killed after he had saved five muggle-born children escape the raid on Diagon Alley. Dean Thomas; executed by Voldemort himself after breaking into Riddle Manor and saving 15 kidnapped Hogwarts students. Parvati Patil; slain by Bellatrix Lestrange after she had killed Amycus and Alecto Carrow in a gory battle that had lasted half an hour. All of those fallen in war were pictured at the top most of the hill. Below them, but above the survivors of the last battle, are the greatest of the heroes.

Directly behind Hadrian stands Albus Dumbledore, who died protecting Hogwarts from a Death Eater raid. In the end, none had managed to breach his defenses, and it had taken 23 Death Eaters and Voldemort himself before he fell. On either of his side stands Lily and James Potter, smiling proudly from the picture. On Lily's left, Fabian and Gideon Prewitt, whose legendary last stand against a horde of Death Eaters was known to all children around the world. On James' right, Fred and George Weasley grinned widely. In an effort to save their retreating friends, they had blown up themselves and the surrounding area. Everyone from the Order had survived, bar the twins. 265 Death Eaters had died because of their heroic sacrifice.

At the bottom of the gold frame, centered, lies a plaque on which is engraved the words:

LEST WE FORGET THE SACRIFICES MADE

It is another hour before Rosalie and Hadrian are capable of conscious movement.

Half an hour later, they discover the card hidden buried within the depths of the hay.

_To Rosalie & Hadrian,_

_Luna asked me to pass on this painting. For some reason she was quite adamant that it be delivered through muggle transportation. I'm not quite sure why. Regardless, here it is._

_All our love,_

_Kingsley, Andy & Teddy_

_P.S. Attached is the card that Luna sent along with the painting._

_To the honorable Lady Hale and Hadrian,_

_Please enjoy this painting. I borrowed a copy of the photograph from Colin to paint this._

_Must run, but please get in touch soon. I do so miss you, Hadrian._

_All my affection,_

_Miss Luna Lovegood_

They do not bother to wonder why the painting is unmoving. It is here and that is enough.

--

Hadrian frames the card from Luna and places it in his room. Rosalie hangs the painting and places it in the foyer. It hangs on the wall to the left of the front door and ensures that whosoever enters will encounter the painting before anything else. It is not much, but it is their own way of honoring the gift that has been bestowed upon them.

It is as he has returned from framing Luna's card that he finds Rosalie in the foyer, staring at the painting, trailing a hand over the face of the painted Hadrian.

"Mother?"

His voice is soft, unsure if he is wanted in this scene that he has unwittingly stumbled upon. She smiles softly and inclines her head, asking him to come closer with no words needed. They are too close for words. He settles himself beside her, watching as her fingers trail over his face and then Sirius'.

Hadrian had never been sure of what to think of Rosalie and Sirius. Separately, he can distinguish them easily enough. Rosalie is his mother, the woman in his life that he holds above everyone else. Similarly, Sirius is his godfather, not his father but close enough that Hadrian can easily consider him his sole father-figure. Yes, Sirius is immature and idiotic even at the best of times, but Sirius has also proven his loyalty, his determination to protect Hadrian and ensure his success at whatever he so chose to pursue. For Hadrian, that is enough.

Together, however, Sirius and Rosalie were quite... incomprehensible. One minute they were practically best friends, and the next they were arguing like long time rivals. They were enemies and friends and family and rivals and every other kind of relationship in between. Hadrian is quite unsure as to what they are to each other, but he knows that he doesn't care. Sirius is the only person in the world that Hadrian would trust his mother's safety to and whatever their relationship is is not his business. Not even to Ron and Hermione would Hadrian entrust the safety of his mother.

"I remember the day this was taken."

Her voice is so soft that it barely carries to even Hadrian's vampire enhanced ears. She is deep in contemplation and when she speaks again, she sounds almost breathless,

Hadrian studies the picture and picks out the small details that he hadn't bothered to notice before. Like the way his mother had one hand resting on Sirius' arm as they both hugged him from either side. Like the way Sirius had an open hand resting against Rosalie's cheek and the way she seemed to be leaning closer to his touch, an easy, open smile gracing her lips. On Hadrian's other side, Sirius' eyes are bright and twinkling in the light.

"I was so worried that you wouldn't make it. That fate would curse me once again and steal away the person who meant the most to me in the entire world…"

In the picture, Hadrian sees that he himself is relaxed and leaning into the hug from the most important person in his life and the person that he trusted the most, outside of Hermione and Ron.

Hadrian has to admit that in the painting, with his bright amber eyes and decidedly aristocratic smile, he looks like a child that could have come from Rosalie Hale and Sirius Black.

"And then it was over and I couldn't see you and I was so worried, Hadrian, so worried…"

Hadrian can remember just as clearly as she.

"But then, there you were! Sirius was trying to support your weight and you looked so dead and lifeless I almost thought you were broken beyond repair…"

She turns now, takes Hadrian's shoulders and looks him directly in the eye.

"But you weren't, and you're fine now, and I want you to know that I love you more then the world. That I would give anything to keep you happy and if I could, I would give my very existence to ensure that Voldemort had never darkened your life in the first place."

He hugs her tightly. Mainly to shut her up, but also because he cannot stand to hear her talking of the past. Hadrian hates Voldemort for everything that he has done, and always will hate the cursed man. But a large part of Hadrian, a part that he is scared to voice, thanks Merlin every day for the fact that Voldemort had chosen to kill him that night so long ago. He has never told anyone this secret. Never voiced what he knows is practically blasphemy in the eyes of the wizarding populace, but if Hadrian is anything, he has always been honest to himself. Hadrian does not remember Lily or James Potter and for this, he cannot think of them as his parents. He knows that they gave their lives to save his, but he knows them only through pictures and stories. Hadrian is eternally thankful for the sacrifice that they made, but they are only his parents through formality. Because Hadrian has spent his life being loved by Rosalie, waking up from nightmares to find Rosalie at his side with soothing words and a soft embrace. It has been Rosalie that has picked him up from school and taken him to the park and attended all of his scholarly accomplishments. It was Rosalie that had stood at his side at the final battle, ready to take on the world, all for him. And for this, for the fact that Rosalie had adopted him, Hadrian is thankful for Voldemort. Thankful for the chance to have a mother so caring and so beautiful, both inside and out. Hadrian knows for a fact that if Voldemort had never killed Lily and James Potter, he would have never had Rosalie as a mother, and for this, Hadrian can forgive Voldemort his sins, just a little.

--

When Rosalie decides to go shopping later that same day, Hadrian declines going with her. She leaves, her candy-red sports car racing out of the driveway and Hadrian is left to the Manor by himself. The windows are open and Hadrian is watching TV, flipping through channels rapidly, an hour later. In the distance he can hear the faint rumbling of an approaching car and Hadrian thinks to himself that maybe Rosalie had not been content with shopping in Port Angeles. It is as he strains to hear more that Hadrian realizes that he cannot hear the melodic purr of his mother's car. Instead, it is the guttural roar of something larger. Hadrian is most certainly unimpressed. He does not know who these intruders are and for that, precautions must be taken. His mobile phone is in his hand as he approaches the open windows. With one ear, he listens as the unknown car draws ever nearer, with his other he listens as the call dials through.

"Hadrian?"

"Where are you?"

"Port Angeles, just finishing up actually, you just _have_ to see these new Jimmy Choo's. They are absolutely to _die_ for!"

"Sounds great."

"Did you need anything, sweetheart?"

Hadrian twitches the curtains of the window closed just as an expensive looking jeep emerges onto the beginning of the Manor's driveway. Idly, he shoots a closing and locking spell at the covered window. He has seen enough.

"I was going to ask you to get me something, but you'll be coming home soon, so it doesn't really matter."

As always, Rosalie protests. Hadrian does not ask for much, never has actually, so when he asks for something, it is always Rosalie's pleasure to get it, no matter the cost.

"Hadrian darling, really! It's no problem at all!"

"Well, it's in Seattle, which is out of your way. No, really, it doesn't matter."

Hadrian thinks of the dirty blonde haired driver and the white-blonde haired passenger and disagrees. It does matter.

"Sweetheart, that's fine! What do you need from Seattle?"

Hadrian smiles. He'd known that his mother would go, regardless of his protests. He does know her well, after all.

"Apparently there's a bookstore somewhere in the east of the city. I'm not quite sure where it is but they have a book there that I've wanted for a while, 'Curses and their Cures' by Demeter Romanovski. Hermione told me about it a while back, she heard about it from Bill who was interested in the book for work. East Seattle was as far as they were able to track the books co-ordinates."

"That's fine, darling. I'll go look for it."

"Thanks Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Rosalie does not ask why Hadrian wants the book now and not later. She doesn't ask why Hadrian does not fetch the book himself. She simply settles for turning her car in the direction of Seattle and shooting off faster then is legal.

--

When the doorbell rings, Hadrian is sitting on the stairs opposite the main door, wondering what he should do. From the glimpse of the car's passengers, he has already deduced that the driver was none other then Emmett McCarty and the other was Jasper Whitlock, but what to do about them? He could sit and do nothing. The two would assume that no-one was home and leave. But where was the fun in that? He could always just kill them and dispose of their bodies. But Hadrian doesn't feel entirely blood-thirsty and again, where would the fun be in just killing them? There wasn't any. But Hadrian wants to have fun with these two. Wants to bring Emmett to his knees in despair and watch the other Cullen crumble. He wants to see them all in pain, but for now, he will lay the groundwork. Soon enough he will break the Cullen family.

It is as he glances briefly at Luna's painting that inspiration strikes and a vicious smile appears over his face.

A summoning charm later and Hadrian has a bottle of Zabini's finest attached to his lips. A few sips later and he banishes the bottle. He knows that by now, his eyes have faded to bright amber, the exact same shade as his mothers. He summons a small mirror to his side and stares at his reflection intently.

After the blood adoption his genes had changed dramatically. In all sense of the words, the process had completely wiped out all of Lily Potter's genes within him and instead replaced them with Rosalie's. His father's genes that made up parts of his DNA were left untouched. Biologically, it was as if Rosalie Hale and James Potter had been his actual parents. But with golden eyes and black hair slicked back slightly, Hadrian could pass off as a product of Rosalie Hale and Sirius Black. Perfect.

The doorbell rings again and Hadrian has already banished the mirror and collected himself. He knows exactly how to pull this off. The malicious grin etched on his face is proof of this.

"Yes?"

When he opens the door he is every bit the Pureblood Lord that his mother had cultivated. His eyes are bright, mouth twisted into a cocky, yet charming smile, and his posture is impeccable. Despite the fact that he has his mothers features, Hadrian knows that he almost looks like a younger version of Sirius. The black hair and lack of glasses helps.

When he answers the door, there is silence from the two parties on the doorstep. He wonders why, until it dawns on him.

His features combined with his eyes make him almost a perfect carbon copy of Rosalie, but there are a few differences. His hair is black, his body more rugged and built, the perfect blend of Rosalie and an unknown man. It is Emmett's flinch that gives away his thought and inwardly Hadrian smirks. These people deserve nothing more.

"Hello. My name is Jasper Whitlock; this is my brother, Emmett."

Hadrian inclines his head but refrains from taking the offered hand. Jasper smiles and pulls back his hand, despite the obvious snub. There is an almost tangible contentment radiating from the blond and Hadrian remembers that this one is the empath. He fights against the intrusion and holds tightly to his own emotions. He has done it enough. In the past, Voldemort had delighted in trying to force Hadrian into feeling different emotions to throw him off balance during their duels. It was the same way that Voldemort also tried breaking into his mind using Legilimency. Needless to say, they never worked. Hadrian had a will of steel and no one was capable of controlling him. Whether his actions or his emotions.

"A pleasure. Are you two lost?"

It is obvious by his tone that he is far from pleased. If anything, he seems bored by these two newcomers.

Jasper shakes his head and through it all Emmett remains quiet. Hadrian can see the wheels of his mind running on over-drive as the larger vampire studies the features of this man standing at the door. So like Rosalie, and yet… not.

"No. We're looking for someone. Is Rosalie Hale here?"

It amuses Hadrian that they have asked for her so quickly, rather than beating around the bush.

He opens the door wider and leans against the joint of it. In doing so, he has given them a clear view of the interior of the foyer. He has given them an even better view of Luna's painting. It is Jasper this time, that chokes slightly as clear shock emanates from his body. Beside the empath, Hadrian can see that Emmett's eyes are wide and uncomprehending as he takes in the sight.

Hadrian knows what they see, but pretends to stare at them instead.

"Rosalie?" He asks, as if trying to gauge their reaction.

Emmett nods reluctantly, but Hadrian knows that his attention is riveted on the Rosalie in the painting. The Rosalie with her hair in an artful disarray. Rosalie with one arm thrown over Hadrian's. Rosalie leaning into the touch of another man. Hadrian cannot believe how easy this is.

"And what would you want with Rosalie?"

"We just want to talk to her."

Emmett's eyes are calculating as he takes in Hadrian's face and compares it to the painting on the side of the wall. He knows that Emmett is comparing him to Rosalie, and also to the man that Rosalie seems so intimate with in the painting.

"Then I'm sorry, but she's not here."

Hadrian makes to shut the door, but a hand stops him. Emmett's of course.

"Will she be back soon?"

Hadrian considers saying that Rosalie will not be back for a very long time. But instead settles for toying with these creatures. For a little while at least.

He pretends to think thoughtfully while a hand reaches to brush back strands of ebony locks. Absentmindedly he twirls a few strands around one finger and pulls harshly.

An intake of air and Hadrian knows that he has Emmett right where he wants him.

It is a move that is entirely Rosalie, and here it is being imitated by a man that looks so much like her and yet at the same time he is not quite her. Hadrian knows that deep down Emmett knows why, but for now the larger vampire is keen to pretend that it is not so. But Hadrian can see the pain in his eyes, the unadulterated terror that this person can be none other then Rosalie's child. Rosalie's child with another man.

It is quite obvious that the simple natural act has thrown Emmett for a loop.

Good.

Hadrian decides to drive the figurative stake further into Emmett's heart.

"Mom didn't say when she'd be back. I think she'll be in Seattle for a while. Perhaps you should try coming back in two or three days?"

"Mom?" Jasper whispers the word as if it is quite incomprehensible. From his obvious surprise, Hadrian can see that he had not had any inkling of the relation. But he sees his eyes turning sharply as his face is scrutinized. There is dawning within golden orbs. With Emmett however, a small spark of something seems to die.

Hadrian: One. Cullen Family: Zero.

"You're Rosalie's son?"

The question is innocent enough, and behind the words there is no evident emotion. But his eyes seem desperate and it is this that gives him away.

Hadrian nods at Emmett's question.

"Yes."

The innocuous answer seems to make Jasper not entirely happy. He frowns.

"Did she honestly turn him just because of the passing resemblance?"

He mutters it softly, so softly in fact that any human would have passed off the sound as a passing wind.

But Hadrian hears it, hears it well and takes affront to the accusation. He decides however, to pretend he has not heard it. This only makes him further determined to hurt these idiotic cretins.

"How long have you been with her?"

He could tell them the truth and say that it has been ever since he was a lonely, neglected three year old. He decides against this.

"Ever since she had me."

He says it as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"Had you?"

"Yes, had me. As in, when mothers have children. You two are quite slow aren't you?"

The comment is biting in its sarcasm, but they decide to ignore the remark and instead settle for more pressing matters. Like the fact that this fledgling seems to think that Rosalie had actually birthed him.

"Rosalie had you?" Jasper says it as if trying to ascertain that Hadrian had spoken the words exactly as they had been heard.

"Yes. She is my mother after all. Would you like a DNA test to prove it?"

By now Hadrian's voice is quite disgusted, but inwardly it is something that makes him laugh.

"DNA test?"

He rolls his eyes at the constant repetition.

"My God! You two are quite thick aren't you?"

He settles for opening the door fully and pointing to the painting behind him.

"My parents." He says, indicating the painting in general. "My _biological_ parents." He adds as if talking to two simpletons.

The two seem to be in shock as they take in the picture.

Hadrian: Two. Cullen Family: Zero.

A beep erupts from Hadrian's pocket and he slides his phone out easily. The message icon is blinking and Hadrian taps at the message icon and it opens:

Just stopped at a wedding expo. Scouting for dresses. Will be leaving soon! ;-) Sorry, sweetheart. xoxox

He taps the reply button and makes to ignore the two vampires on his doorstep, but instead thinks better of it.

"Why don't you two come in for a while?"

They are unnerved by this sudden show of hospitality, but still they move inwards. The door slams shut behind them ominously and Hadrian ushers them into the lounge room. They make themselves comfortable on the couch as Hadrian throws himself gracefully onto an armchair. He taps at the reply button on his phone and texts his mother back:

Take your time =]

--

Alice knows that the family is avoiding her. Similarly, she is also avoiding them. Emmett especially, and Tanya too. She ignores Bella and Renesmee, turns away from Edward's company, and leaves when Esme and Carlisle approach. The only presence she tolerates is Jasper, because really, he is the only one that feels anywhere near as much as she does.

The rest of them, they don't understand. Alice thinks that maybe they just don't remember as well as she does.

When Alice and Jasper had appeared one night on the doorstep of the Cullen family, they had not been welcomed with open arms. Edward had been shocked by the thoughts of death and slaughter that constantly plagued Jasper's mind and he was quite vocal in his opinion that he had thought Alice was plainly psychotic. Because of that, Esme, Carlisle and Emmett had been wary of their presence, but still, they had not turned them away. Rosalie had not cared either way and had spent most of the time ignoring the new-comers.

Two weeks later and things had spiraled downhill. Edward refused to be anywhere near them and despite believing in Alice's ability to see into the future, still considered her bark raving mad. It had come to a head one day when Edward had declared that he couldn't stand Jasper's presence any longer and that if they stayed, then he would have no choice but to leave. Emmett agreed that Jasper and Alice should leave, but Carlisle, ever the peace keeper had tried to come to a compromise. It was Rosalie that had come into the raging room and slapped a hand over Edward's head. So hard, in fact, that his head moved backwards at the contact.

"Could you please shut your mouth? Your irritating voice is making me want to gouge out my own ears."

And before she'd even finished the sentence she had grabbed Jasper in one hand and Alice in the other and was dragging them out the door. She stopped before she exited though, and before anyone could comment, she'd turned around with an impatient frown,

"Hurry _up_, Carlisle! We have to buy them new wardrobes. I cannot have my sister and brother walking around in rags. It would be a tragedy!"

And that was that. Rosalie had decided that Alice and Jasper would be family and no one was going to change her mind. It was after this that things fell into place. Alice and Jasper slowly became family until finally even Edward missed their presence when they were gone for short periods of time.

Alice remembers this, and she remembers more. She remembers how it was Rosalie that had taught her about fashion and had brought out her love for clothing and shoes. It had been Rosalie that was the first to listen to her visions and the first to comply with them, even when she was unhappy with the turn of events. It was Rosalie that had kidnapped Jasper away from her side one day and explicitly told the whole family to stay away. They had returned 3 days later. Rosalie with a small smile on her face and Jasper, looking lighter and happier then he had ever been. Alice knew that they'd talked about Jasper's past, but she didn't pry. Edward knew what they'd talked about, but he kept his silence.

It's because of this, and more, that Alice finds it hard to bring up the courage to go to Rosalie's house and talk to her. In her mind she sees the pure joy that Rosalie's face expressed in the car with that unknown man. Alice thinks that if they were to turn back up in her life, if they were to try and force up the past all over again and ruin the happiness that Rosalie seems to have found, she would not be able to live with herself.

--

When Tanya Denali arrived in Forks to stay with the Cullen family, Rosalie had been the most affected by the news. Of all the Denali sisters, Rosalie considered Tanya the worst of them, despite the fact that Tanya, by default, was the coven leader. The fact that she seemed to be unhealthily obsessed with Edward was just another point that made the blonde dislike the Alaskan vampire even more. If she had been anyone else, Rosalie may have found her presence threatening. Tanya was, after all, one of the original vampires that the myth of the succubus had been based upon. But Rosalie was far from threatened by the strawberry-blonde. In fact, Rosalie made sure that if anything, Tanya's presence was entirely ignored.

Three months later, Rosalie wanted to rip the stupid bitches head off and set fire to her carcass.

Looking back, it could be supposed that in a small way Rosalie contributed to the mess. But overall, it was just another nasty affair that plagues even the best of all families.

August had been a rough month for Rosalie. For some reason there seemed to be a baby boom in the local population, and no matter where she turned, she was surrounded by pregnant women and radiant mothers. Every day seemed like a slap in the face for her. Every child she saw was another dream that was killed. She'd never be able to have children. Never know the joy of birthing a creation that was so much like you, but not. In the end she'd taken to avoiding the town and the house. It was bad enough the thoughts of babies and growing children plagued her own mind, she didn't need Edward reading private thoughts that she didn't even dare share with Emmett. She stayed away as long as she could, and only came home at night and even then there was a stony silence between her and the rest of the family. Edward tried reading her thoughts but was always stonewalled by her thoughts of materials and cloth. Emmett tried talking to her, but she found that keeping her silence was the best route. The entire time, Rosalie refused Emmett's touch. It was hard for her to be intimate with a the man she loved, knowing that she would never be able to carry his child, never have him be the father of her children.

So it was that August passed with stony silences and cold shoulders. By September though, Emmett had had enough. He yelled, screamed, raged at Rosalie, always asking what was wrong and why she was acting the way she was. She retaliated and gave as much as she got, but never did she voice what was really troubling her. The arguments became so frequent and so loud that Rosalie took to not only staying away from the house as much as she could, but at night, when she finally returned, she'd also taken to staying away from the bedroom that was officially Emmett's and her own. It was also in September however, that Rosalie met Caroline, and in extension, Scarlett, Corrine, Chadwick and Christopher.

Her meetings with the witch and her young charges were sporadic over the next few weeks. But they were enough for Rosalie to keep her mind off the troubles that plagued her at home. She was distracted the entire time whenever she returned from her meetings with Caroline and the children. So much so, that she never noticed when Emmett had stopped raging at her. Never noticed that he'd become shifty whenever he was in her presence. Never noticed that whenever she came home he always smelled strongly of a new cologne. Never noticed that beneath the strong odour of the cologne, was the smell of another woman. Through all of it though, she'd made sure to keep her mind occupied with irrelevant thoughts to ensure that Edward could not read her mind. She didn't worry about Alice. Alice had never been a witch, and because of that, she was blind to their presence.

It was as September was shifting into October however, that Rosalie returned early from an impromptu meeting with Caroline and the children. Scarlett was sick and was only allowed out for an hour that day. She'd entered the house silently, her thoughts on the small children that had hugged her goodbye and begged for to return the next day to see them. As always, she'd promised. In her pocket, the small two-way mirror that Caroline had given her weeks ago ("It's a precaution, Rosie. Just in case.") lay nestled within the folds.

At first she'd thought that the house was empty. Until she heard the low breathy moans, the thunder-like clap of skin on skin contact. She'd been tempted to walk out and not come back for another few hours, because initially, she'd thought it had been Esme and Carlisle. Until she realized that she recognized the groans of the man, and for the first time in her (undead) life, fear crept up her spine.

She inched her way up the stairs. For a vampire, the speed was excruciatingly slow, but Rosalie took her time and finally, she stood outside their bedroom. Any other time, Emmet would have heard the approach of someone coming, but Rosalie knew first hand that there was only one thing that could distract Emmett so much that he was deaf to the world.

Opening the door was the second hardest thing she had ever had to do. Comprehending what she was seeing was the first.

He was sprawled all over her. Naked and sweating and pounding into her body and there she was, strawberry-blonde hair haloed around her face as she panted and moaned and writhed wantonly beneath his larger body. And permeating the air like a thick, almost tangible blanket was the heady smell of sex.

The two bodies stilled a second later. But it was already a second too late.

Rosalie dashed away as fast as she could. A strangled shout echoed behind her,

"Rosalie! Wait!"

But she didn't wait. She couldn't.

Her plan was to run as fast and as far as she could. She made it to the first floor before she was halted.

They stood at the bottom of the stairs, barring her path. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle.

By this time Emmett had reached the top of the stairs and slowed when he'd realized that Rosalie was still within the house.

It was Alice's crestfallen face that had given it away and made Rosalie take a hesitant step backwards. Hand clutched over her unbeating heart as pain laced through her body.

This was not just a one time fuck. This had happened before.

And they had _all known_.

--

It is Jasper that breaks the silence after Hadrian has stashed away his phone.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it. But anyway, my name is Hadrian. Hadrian Hale."

Jasper nods contemplatively as he hears the words, but Emmett seems stricken. His face appears pinched and his throat has constricted harshly. So much so, that it is obvious to Hadrian that if the large vampire had been human, he would already be dead through asphyxiation.

"The picture you showed us… Your parents-" He trails off as if unsure of what to say. Hadrian waits and simply inclines his head in interest. Faked as it is.

"Your mother- Rosalie- she's…"

"Beautiful?"

Jasper shakes his head and looks pained as he considers what words to say.

Hadrian decides that he likes playing dumb.

"Charismatic?"

Another shake of his head.

"Model material? Incredibly brilliant? Fashionista extraordinaire? A shopaholic? Every wife's worst nightmare? The-"

"A vampire!"

Pause. Silence.

"A WHAT?!"

Fear is etched in Hadrian's face and to Jasper it's as if the accusation has come right out of left field.

The blonde haired vampire stutters as he tries to articulate correctly.

"I mean -she didn't- what about-"

Hadrian: Three. Cullen Family: Zero.

Laughter bursts from mocking lips and Jasper pauses in his ministrations. Hadrian composes himself easily enough, but through it all, there is a mocking smile playing over his lips. Charming, yes, but mockingly so.

"I'm joking. Yes, my mother is a vampire. Sounds decidedly sinister, doesn't it?"

Emmett and Jasper share a look and both decide to ignore the sarcastic words.

"Your father-" Emmett chokes out the words as if they were cooked human food. Jasper, glancing briefly at his brother and seeing how hard it seems for him to say anymore, continues the sentence. Hadrian doesn't care. For all Emmett's presence, he might as well not even be here.

"Is he a- human?"

He offers them a serene smile at their hesitance. He could be nice and tell them that Sirius is not in fact his father. But it's an assumption that they have made, and really, how can he deny himself this perfect opportunity to drive the figurative stake yet further into the heart of Emmett Cullen, or Whitlock, as he had been introduced.

"Once upon a time. Long before me."

Not quite a lie. But not quite truth either.

When times of argument surfaced, Rosalie was quite vocal in her opinion that Sirius was definitely more Grim then human. Sirius' reply ever since had been that it was the only way that any man could handle Rosalie, who was more bitch then woman. Suffice to say, it was an argument that no-one contributed to, under penalty of a long and painful death (from Rosalie) or infinite pranking (from Sirius). Nobody could quite figure out which prospect was worse.

--

Many questioned Tanya's emotions toward Edward and in all honestly, they were right to worry for her. In Kate's own words:

"Who the hell would want to be with a man that could read your every thought? I mean sure it _sounds _great, but there are just some secrets that deserve to kept, well, _secret_."

Tanya however, had disregarded the words that her sisters had thrown at her when they'd discovered her infatuation with the eldest Cullen child. She'd disregarded them so much that she'd decided to oppose them to the fullest. And that included going to extreme efforts to flirt with Edward. It hadn't worked when they'd first met and hadn't worked many years later, but Tanya was sure that sooner or later, Edward would see that she was what was best for him.

She wasn't blinded by love. In fact, if anything, she was more then aware about how Edward felt towards her. She knew that he considered her adequately pretty, but not beautiful. Definitely not as beautiful as Rosalie. She knew that he tolerated her presence, not out of courtesy, but because Carlisle was close friends to the family and so Edward played nice for his father figure. Tanya knew all of this, but she also knew more. She knew that Edward was incredibly lonely, especially since Carlisle had Esme, Emmett had Rosalie and the newly introduced Jasper had the Seer, Alice. Tanya knew that Edward was just as lonely as she was and in her opinion, that was enough to base a relationship on. She'd never had experience with love, but she knew that she could grow to love Edward and, if given the chance, he could grow to love her as well. It wasn't a conclusion that many would have come to, but Tanya was more experienced with sex and lust and physical pleasures. When it came to forever, she was as inexperienced as a newly turned fledgling.

The Cullen's leaving for Forks had been expected after their brief stint in Alaska. The sisters had waved good bye to them and they knew that they'd probably hear from each other within the next half century or so.

Tanya showing up in Forks just a year after the Cullen's had left Alaska was most definitely not expected, although it did explain why exactly Alice had been laughing at Edward lately and blocking his mind reading abilities by reciting the National Anthem backwards in Italian.

Despite being the unofficial leader of the Denali clan, Tanya's move had actually been deliberated between her two sisters. Essentially, they'd kicked her out of the house and told her to go and find the man that she'd been 'mooning' over ever since he'd left; ergo, her abruptly showing up in Forks with nothing but a single backpack and the stains of a dead mountain lion on her dress. Despite Rosalie's hostility, she'd thought that everything would work out all right.

It didn't.

In fact, it ended up being the worst mistake of her existence.

Her first falling into bed with Emmett had been fueled but the fact that she hadn't been laid in a long time and neither had Emmett, which was what surprised her the most. There was nothing passionate about it, it was all bodies clashing and teeth nipping and the desperate urge to relieve the building sexual frustration that seemed to weigh the both of them down. It was impossible to tell how it had even started, but by the end of it, it hadn't mattered. Emmett had slept with another woman that was most certainly not his wife. His regret was so palpable, that Jasper had refused to come within miles of the house for an entire day.

Edward had been furious when he'd returned home and found out; more so at Emmett than Tanya. But Tanya knew that if she'd had even the smallest chance with Edward, it was essentially nil now. She'd slept with his brother, who was married to his sister. That should have been enough for her to pack her things and leave.

But she didn't.

Apparently the act had been so spontaneous that even Alice hadn't seen it, and when she'd returned by herself, wondering why Jasper had declined coming home, she had been the most shocked, and the most hurt.

Rosalie had been out again, doing God knew what, so Esme and Carlisle had been the next two home and they were just as confused by the smell of sex and just as disappointed with the two.

There had been no fighting between them, but maybe it would have been best if there had been. Instead, there was a silent wall of such bleak emotions that it didn't take Jasper to figure out how everyone was feeling.

Edward had been all for telling Rosalie, but Emmett had begged for the chance to tell her himself. He'd thought that he'd have to start pleading for another chance the minute she got home. Despite the liberal showers he'd had, and the copious amounts of cologne that he'd dumped on his body, the smell of sex still permeated his skin. Emmett had thought that the moment Rosalie had returned home, he'd have to start crawling on his hands and knees. But he'd been wrong.

Rosalie had stayed out late. As always. She'd returned home in the early hours of the morning. As always. And she'd spent the rest of the morning on the bottom floor, staring out the window in contemplation. She'd disregarded Emmetts presence and according to Edward the next day, she hadn't noticed anything. It was extremely unnerving, but Edward couldn't understand what had her concentration so much that her senses had even dulled.

"She's thinking of a hundred things at once, so much that I can't even get a good fix on any particular thought."

He'd spent an entire week trying to gather up the courage to confess to his wife, but in the end, it had happened again. Not even two weeks later and he'd fallen into bed with Tanya again. And again. And again.

It had nothing to do with love, and it had nothing to do with passion. In the moments when they were together, they were just a man and a woman who had needs.

Maybe it was the complete bitch in Tanya, but a small portion of her was ecstatic that she'd managed to bed Emmett. Tanya was used to being beautiful and being the most sought after woman. The fact that Rosalie was more beautiful and completely hostile towards Tanya, was enough for her to feel some sort of vindictive glee that she'd manage to hurt Rosalie. This however, was quickly dispelled when she'd noted the shattered expression on Emmett's face. The complete and utter hopelessness that he seemed to exude. The flashes of anger every time a Cullen family member returned home to smell a stronger scent of sex on the two parties. And through it all, it was as if Rosalie was dead to their misdeeds. She was completely in her own world whenever she returned home. She refrained from speaking, was hardly around and when she deemed to speak with them, it was obvious that her mind was elsewhere. Edward was still having trouble reading Rosalie's mind and day by day the tension grew and grew.

Tanya knew that it couldn't go on anymore. She had finally resolved to tell Rosalie the truth when it had happened. She'd fallen into bed with Emmett again. Except this time, Rosalie had come home to find them.

--

Talking with Jasper and Emmett is amusing. Despite the fact that Hadrian doesn't like these two men, they are somewhat humorous in their own rights. Not funny like Fred and George had been. And not hilarious like Sirius was when he managed to get Remus into a mischievous mood. But they are amusing, and so Hadrian endures them for as long as he can.

The fact that he is also trying to subtly gather more information on their family is also a factor that may have contributed to this sudden tolerance.

They speak of inconsequential things. Hadrian stonewalls every time they try to pry further into the Hale family. He tells them the bare minimum. They only know that Hadrian is Rosalie's biological son with another man, and that they had moved to Forks just a few weeks before that. They try asking why they had moved but Hadrian had simply told them that they needed time away from the London life that they'd become accustomed to. After that, conversation moves to the Cullen family instead. Jasper seems to be warming up to Hadrian and Emmett appears to be making an honest effort. Hadrian believes that it is because he is Rosalie's son.

Through the conversation, Jasper wonders about Alice's vision. Bella had informed them that Rosalie had a son, but according to what Bella had heard from her father, what Edward had seen in Charlie's mind, the man that had been with Rosalie in the car had been Hadrian. The only pressing issue is the eye colour. In the vision, Alice had been adamant that the man had green eyes, and that was the reason why in the beginning they'd assumed that he was human. But Rosalie's child has amber eyes. Just like them. So what exactly had Alice seen?

"So how do you know my Mom anyway?"

An innocent enough question, but Jasper's subtle hesitance and Emmett's almost minuscule flinch is enough for Hadrian to see the truth of it.

"We used to know her. A long time ago."

A short blunt answer. Surprisingly enough it is Emmett that speaks. Hadrian decides to leave at that and instead chooses to steer the conversation in another direction.

"So Bella and Edward recently married?"

"Yes. Last year actually."

"Oh, that's nice."

Hardly, but Hadrian wants more information.

"It is." Jasper offers a small smile as he thinks briefly of the small family.

"They are incredibly happy and Renesmee is a joy to have too."

"Renesmee?"

This is definitely new.

Jasper nods and continues,

"Yes, Renesmee. She is Bella and Edwards daughter."

Hadrian's eyes harden at the words and Jasper knows where his thoughts are leading.

"She is not an immortal child. She is a halfling, if anything. Half-human and half-vampire."

He spews the details slowly, wanting Hadrian to understand that Renesmee is not a creature of disgust.

Cue fake smile.

Jasper relaxes visibly. He thinks that Hadrian is smart in giving him a chance. Hadrian thinks Jasper is an idiot. He hides his discomfort and inclines his head thoughtfully, even as revulsion courses through his veins. In all honesty, he would have felt better if it had been an Immortal Child. In the back of his mind he tells himself that he will remember to call Kingsley and give the man a piece of his mind. Because Hadrian's disgust with hybrid vampires is nothing compared to the rage that will incite Rosalie when she finds out.

Hybrids had sided with Voldemort during the war. Not a single one had fought for equality or a hope for a better future. Instead, they had all fought for vengeance against a world that had shunned them. They fought for the hate that they harbored within their hearts. They fought for all the wrong reasons.

It had been half-vampire half-human hybrids that had decimated a large portion of the Order fighters. Hybrids had cruelly devastated the grounds of Beauxbatons in retaliation for the French Aurors that had joined the British in fighting back against the dark side. Worst of all however, had been the hybrids that had walled in an injured Hadrian and a large group of unconscious children and set the building ablaze. Anti-apparating and anti-portkey wards had ensured that they had no way out and it had only been the unrelenting efforts of Sirius, Hermione, Ron and Rosalie that had saved them. Ever since, hybrids had been a source of extreme distaste for the group. Hate, in Sirius and Rosalie's case.

"How pleasant."

Not.

--

When Rosalie returns from Seattle, she has Hadrian's book in one hand and numerous bags of shoes in the other. Jasper and Emmett had left hours earlier and in the wake of their leaving, Hadrian had debated whether or not he should tell his mother when she finally returned. It is tempting, so very tempting to just wave his wand and dispel their scents but Hadrian hesitates. He knows that they will be back sooner or later to see his mother and it would be better if she had warning beforehand. He knows that now would be the best time to break the unfortunate news to his mother.

"I come bearing gifts!"

Her smile is just that little bit forced and he knows that she is more then aware that there have been visitors. No point in beating around the bush. He rises and takes the book from her hand.

"Some people stopped by earlier."

She drops her bags and reclines into the armchair that Hadrian had occupied just a few hours before. She sinks back and turns her head to soak in his scent. It is obvious that she is trying to block out the other two scents that are in the air.

"Does the smell bother you?"

"Not entirely. It's just… unexpected, I guess…"

"They were interesting enough." A hyperbole if anything.

"Oh really?"

He can see that she doesn't care for this conversation.

"Hmm… Jasper and Emmett. They were looking for you."

She looks uncaring and to Hadrian, she mostly is. She has had a hundred years to get over the heartbreak and despite the fact that she scarcely mentions her previous family Hadrian knows that Rosalie has tried hard to get over the pain. But he knows that to Rosalie, Emmett was her whole life. He knows that even after a thousand years, she would still be unable to get over him.

"Is that so?"

"Yep. They said they might be back later in the week."

She nods and makes to stand but he knows that he should properly warn her before she encounters the hybrid.

"Edward got married last year."

She sits back and instead settles for opening her shoe boxes and examining the contents.

"Really?"

A pair of black stiletto heels.

"Bella. Apparently she's Charlie Swan's daughter."

A pair of sparkling Gucci heels that look like they cost more then most houses in the town.

"How interesting."

She examines the heel carefully, running a finger down the heel and delighting in the sparkles that she can see.

"They have a daughter."

Her hand tightens around the shoe and she stills.

"Is that so?"

"A hybrid."

A crack echoes around the room and fisted within Rosalie's hand is powdered dust where a sparkling heel once was situated.

"Goddammit!"

--

"Perhaps Alaska would be nice this time of year?"

Running is not the Hale way, but advancing in the opposite direction is something that they indulge in every now and again.

"Not possible."

Hadrian doesn't even lift his head from where he is reading. Rosalie sighs and knows defeat when she sees it. If Hadrian hadn't decided to move then it was most likely because Forks was the best place for them to be right now. She doesn't ask anything else. She trusts her son well enough to know that what he does is always for the best. It is a two-way street. Rosalie trusts Hadrian implicitly, and likewise, so does he.

--

**Next Chapter:** Developing - When it rains, it pours. Too bad Hadrian and Rosalie don't know this.

* * *

So I screwed up big time. I just realized that the Denali clan actually lives in Denali, Alaska, and that Denali is not in fact, their last name. For my sake, please pretend that it is ;)

And I'm not sure how it works in America, but in New Zealand, you'd be surprised by how many conventions you can drive by randomly. It's crazy, I tell you! And yes, I do know people who go to Wedding Conventions to scout out dresses, shoes and accessories.

Anyway the Twilight timeline is a bit skewed, and so is the Harry Potter Timeline, but here it is anyway:

1889: Alice and Jasper find the Cullen family.

1899: March - Carlisle makes the treaty with Ephraim Black. July - Tanya comes to stay with the Cullen family. October - Rosalie leaves Forks and the Cullen family.

1988: Isabella Swan is born.

1989: Harry Potter is born.

1993: Harry Potter is adopted by Rosalie Hale through the Muggle Legal System.

1996: Blood Adoption completed between Rosalie Hale and Harry Potter. Officially, Hadrian Hale is born.

2000: Harry Potter starts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Philosophers Stone entails.

2001: Chamber of Secrets.

2002: Prisoner of Azkaban.

2003: Goblet of Fire.

2004: June - War breaks out in wizarding Britain. December - Teddy is born.

2005: January - Bella moves to Forks. Twilight ensues. September - New Moon ensues.

2006: August - Breaking Dawn begins. September - Renesmee is born. November - Breaking Dawn finishes and the Cullen family move to Alaska. December - Voldemort is killed by Harry Potter a.k.a Hadrian Hale. On the 29th, the first part of 'The End Story' occurs.

2007: January - Hadrian and Rosalie move to Forks.

Yes, I know some of the Twilight dates are wrong. Please do not comment on that.

Chapter 4 will be updated on the 21st of February. I live in Auckland and am moving to Dunedin for University, so I'm currently looking for an apartment close to campus and this will be taking up most of my time.

By now, you guys should know the drill.

Hit that **Review** button and leave me a comment =)

- Des.


	4. Chapter 4

I am so terribly sorry for the completely delayed chapter. I know I promised to deliver it sooner and as an author I should keep my promises to my readers, so please receive my humblest apologies for making you wait. Thank you so much for your devotion, persistence and reviews that have pushed me to finish this chapter. And of course, a big thank-you to my beta: **femaleprongslet**. Now without further ado, the next chapter…

* * *

**Developing**

When Rosalie left Forks it had been a spontaneous event that even Alice had not been able to see. But it had happened and the blonde haired vampire had trekked away from the Cullen house, with just a single backpack and the clothes on her back. She'd pointed herself in one direction and just kept running, and running. It was easier for her to concentrate on the path that she traveled rather than the past that she'd left behind. Not even an hour later and she found herself in the one place that she felt she had ever been happy in: the same clearing where she'd met Caroline and the children that she held so dear to her heart. It was here, surrounded by a mostly empty forest, that Rosalie fell to her knees and reached blindly for the mirror that she kept on her body at all times.

"Caroline Davidson."

Her voice was dead when she spoke and before she knew it, the surface of the small hand-held mirror rippled and another figure could be seen.

"Rosie?"

The worry was almost tangible and Rosalie could do nothing but heave dry sobs. No words were needed. One minute the figure in the mirror was gone and the next, there was a loud crack like lightning splitting a tree and all of sudden Rosalie wasn't so alone.

Two warm arms came around her and even though she could have, Rosalie did not fight when Caroline drew her closer.

"I just need to leave, Caroline. Please."

She whispers it dejectedly and Caroline doesn't ask. Simply hugs the vampire tighter and side-along apparates her away.

* * *

Of all the people in the world, Hadrian would have to say that Hermione Granger was the least prejudiced person he knew. Ron had a tendency to judge on first impressions, Sirius jumped to conclusions and Rosalie was the type that hated anyone and everyone unless it was proven that she shouldn't. Hadrian himself was not as prejudiced as his best friend or his mother, but sometimes, he did judge before he had the right to. Hermione though… Hermione was special. She fought for the underdog, always believed the best in people and never quit until there was hard solid proof telling her that what she was doing was impossible. It was because of this that there had been many spats between her and others who fought on the same side. She was adamant that all those captured received a fair trial, regardless of their crimes. It was a sore point to Hadrian who mainly thought that anyone aiming a spell at him deserved to die, but to Hermione there was a difference between killing someone in cold blood and killing them because someone else was threatening to kill your children if you didn't. There were many issues that Hermione had fought for, but the most predominant was the issue of hybrids.

When it was first discovered that Voldemort had managed to find and sway the hybrids to his side, the ministry had been all for having them culled. Hermione had fought tooth and nail against the proposition and had begged Hadrian to back her. He had, of course. After all, what were best friends for?

As the war had escalated though, it was not just the ministry that wanted all the hybrids wiped out. It was now parents, sisters, brothers… even children. As the numbers of the dead mounted up, it was becoming more and more obvious that the hybrids were becoming more of a problem. Of all the deaths during the war, the hybrids had contributed to 74% of them, despite the fact that they were a minority. Hermione though, was still persistent. She believed that if they could just _talk_ to the hybrids, get them to see reason, they could be swayed away from the Dark Lord. She was adamant that all the hybrids needed was to be given a chance. It wouldn't be until after Harry had nearly died from a hybrid attack that Hermione Granger would realize just how very wrong she was.

"Where _are _they?"

The words are snarled out of the practically frothing mouth with such force that Kingsley is hard pressed not to cower. He refrains from the act though. He knows that this behaviour is only because the man is worried.

"Sirius, please, I…"

A rough hand slams itself against Kingsley's hardwood desk and the bottles of ink on the table visibly tremble at the force.

He looks pleadingly over the angry man and sends a beseeching look to the sandy-haired one at the back of the room, his nose buried in a thick tome plucked from Kingsley's shelves.

"Remus, please! Control him!"

A heavy sigh echoes around the room and there are deep gusts of inhaled air as Sirius tries to gather his control.

"I- I'm just worried. One minute they're here and the next minute they're not! Is Hadrian hurt? Is that why they left? Is something wrong with Rosie? I-"

Kingsley has to interrupt before Sirius' ramblings can further drill home the headache that is developing.

"They are both _fine_, Sirius. Really!"

He pierces the fidgeting man with such an intense stare that Sirius is hard pressed not to be reminded of the late Albus Dumbledore.

Sirius, knowing when to back away from a losing fight, sighs and looks away from the stare. He needs to know that his godson is okay, that Rosie is okay. He doesn't care for Kingsley and Remus' placating excuses. He needs to know and he'll be damned if anything stops him. He's Sirius Black after all. He's the only known convict to single-handedly escape Azkaban. Eventually, he'll find a way.

* * *

When Rosalie returns from hunting, she finds Hadrian once again, engrossed in the book that she had returned with.

"Any good?"

She flops down onto the couch beside her son and leans into his body, breathing in his scent carefully and reveling in it. Years after the blood adoption and she is still amazed that such a creature as perfect as Hadrian was created partly because of _her. _

"Yep. Nearly done, actually. I'm going to send it to Andy and ask her if she can pass it on to Hermione."

He finishes the sentence just as he flips over to a new page.

Her head shifts and she rests it carefully in the nook of his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut as Hadrian rests his head on top of hers.

"That's nice."

"Hmm…"

Moments pass and silence descends like the dawn of a new day. They feel no pressing need to break the moment that they find themselves in, but unfortunately, the outside world felt otherwise.

It is seconds after Hadrian has finished reading the last page that the phone rings. It is a split second later that Rosalie has the phone in hand and is answering it. To the human eye, the feat would have been amazing, but to a vampire, it was nothing special. She reclines carefully into the couch and adjusts herself to get comfortable. Hadrian carefully places his now finished book on the nearby coffee table and watches his mother intently.

"Hale residence."

There is a brief pause as Rosalie sighs and hands the phone over to Hadrian.

"Hello?"

This time, it finds their positions reversed as Rosalie watches her son and listens carefully to what is said.

"Hadrian. I trust I find you in good health?"

Hadrian smiles lightly and replies kindly, "Fine, thank you, Kingsley."

"Well-"

He can hear the hesitation over the phone and reflexively closes his eyes and sighs. Something bad is about to happen, he can feel it.

"Spit it out, Kingsley, what is it?"

On the other side of the couch, his mother raises an eyebrow in question and Hadrian shakes his head and offers her a small smile.

"A predicament has arisen that will not be to your liking."

Hadrian waits for Kingsley to continue despite his impatience.

"Sirius stopped by a few days ago and demanded to know where you are. Of course, I told him that it would be impossible for me to just hand out your location. He left quietly enough and I thought that was the end of that."

Apparently it wasn't.

"Someone broke into my office and managed to get a look at the documents detailing your location. I memorized the report and destroyed the documents."

Hadrian had to hand it to Kingsley; he knew how to fix his mistakes so that they never happened again.

"What makes you think that it was Sirius?"

"Yesterday Sirius purchased two tickets to Seattle, a connecting flight to Port Angeles, and a hired car that is to be picked up by the car-rental at Forks after his use."

Hadrian curses under his breath. It is bad enough that the Cullen's are here. He doesn't need Sirius adding fuel to fire by trying to render Emmett limb from limb. In his minds eye he imagines this and despit the situation, finds the images highly amusing.

"You said two tickets, correct?" Hadrian asks in exasperation.

"Yes."

He sighs and says a silent prayer to any listening deity, be it God, Krishna or le Atua.

"I can only hope that Remus is with him to make sure that Sirius doesn't do anything stupid."

* * *

"I can't believe you went over there!" Esme seems frustrated as she repeats the sentence again, seemingly to herself.

"Are you mad that we went or that we didn't take you with us?" Jasper's smile is easy going and it is clear that he is joking.

Alice has finally returned and she keeps her silence as she sits in a chair, her head turned away from the family, looking out the window.

"So how was it?" Esme leans closer in eager anticipation.

It has been days since Emmett and Jasper had been to see Hadrian, but they'd waited until everyone had been present before speaking of their little trip. It had taken this long to get Alice to show up, and finally, Esme's curiosity would be quenched.

Edward leans against the couch, Renesmee cradled in his lap as Bella relaxes into his side. Esme sits perched on the arm of Carlisle's chair and Tanya rests on the armchair beside them. Jasper sits on the last couch with Emmett at his side as they address the rest of the family. Despite the fact that she looks preoccupied, Jasper knows that even Alice is listening.

"Well, you were right Bella. Hadrian is in fact Rosalie's son."

"What?"

"Really?"

When Bella had recounted what her father had told her, Jasper had been the most cynical about it. He had assumed that they meant 'son' in the same way that he was considered the offspring of Carlisle and Esme. It was why he had been so surprised when he had discovered that Hadrian was in fact the actual son of Rosalie.

"It's true. He says that he's biologically Rosalie's son."

"How do you know that he's not lying?"

Bella's question is innocent enough. Jasper shakes his head though,

"The physical resemblance between them is too much to be coincidence."

This is disregarded for a moment as Esme asks the most pressing question.

"And his father?"

"According to Hadrian his father isn't human. It must be how it was possible for the man and Rosalie to…"

Jasper trails off and is unwilling to voice the words that everyone is thinking.

"What does he look like?" Esme of course. In her mind Hadrian is already practically her grandson.

"Like Rosalie. Almost exactly the same, actually. Just, a little different. Black hair, a little shorter, but… he looks so much like her."

"And his eyes?"

"That's what I couldn't understand. His eyes were amber when we met him, but in Alice's vision he had green eyes, and even when Charlie met him he had green eyes as well."

"Maybe it's his power?"

They turn to the quiet voice of Bella.

Carlisle nods his head in agreement,

"Yes, maybe you are right, Bella. The wolves, after all, can change their body structures; perhaps Hadrian's power is being able to change his eye colour?"

It appears that for now, Bella has chosen (or maybe in her usual way, has blundered in) to play the role of devils advocate.

"That's true. But what's to say he can't change his body structure as well? I mean, maybe he doesn't really look like that and he was just-"

This time it is Edward that answers her,

"There were pictures in the house. He looked exactly the same in all of them. I doubt that he would spend his whole life ensuring that he looked like someone else."

Edward of course had managed to see everything that had happened the minute that Jasper and Emmett had returned home.

There is a pause as they deliberate the question.

"Maybe we should just ask them?"

This time it is Tanya that speaks. She knows that it is the answer that everyone wants but most are hesitant to agree to. She says it though, for a completely selfish reason. She needs to see Rosalie to apologize, to atone and maybe, ask for forgiveness.

"Maybe. What else did you talk about?" Carlisle steers the conversation away from the question that refuses to be answered.

"Did he say who his father is?"

"Sirius Black."

"Is there any information on him? Maybe we can find out where Rosalie's been since she… left."

A pause as, unwillingly, they each remember why exactly it was that Rosalie had left.

"London, England. Hadrian told us. But I checked into Sirius Black. There isn't much on him, just vague mentions in some English tabloids. Apparently he's some kind of English Lord other then that there was nothing else. No birth record, no school listings, no paper trail whatsoever. It's like he doesn't even exist despite the papers that mention him."

"Do you know how old he is?"

"I could only find one picture, in it he appeared to be in his mid thirties, give or take a few years. He might even be older, considering he's not human."

"What is he though?"

Silence as everyone considers the question.

"Did Hadrian say why his father didn't come with them?"

"He mentioned something about space. Rosalie and that Black character might be at odds right now."

"Did Hadrian say when Rosalie would be back?"

"He said a few days. Apparently she's in Seattle at the moment."

"What for?"

"He didn't say."

More quiet as they consider their choice of options. It is Edward that speaks to break the silence.

"We'll give it two days. She should be back by then."

* * *

When the phone rings again later that day, the bottom of Hadrian's stomach seems to drop and he can't help but feel that there will be more bad news to make him even more irritated. He doesn't rush to the phone to pick up the receiver, instead waiting until his mother picks up and listens intently to one side of the conversation

"Hale residence." He hears his mother answer in a strong voice.

She had been surprised when he'd admitted to her that Sirius was most likely on his way to see them, probably with Remus in tow, but she'd shrugged it off as she was wont to do. They would deal with it when Sirius eventually showed up. It was her usual way of dealing with Sirius, and for now, it was the only plan of action that they had.

"Well, well. Congratulations sweetheart. He's right here."

When she tosses the phone to Hadrian, there is an excited smile gracing her features.

"Hello?"

"Hadrian?"

"Hermione! How did you get this number?"

"I didn't! I'm calling you from Andy's. But, guess what?"

Hadrian smiles at the exuberance of her voice. He has missed his best friends incredibly since he has last seen them, and to hear Hermione's voice is enough to cheer him up for the next few weeks.

"What?"

He thinks maybe that she has been promoted in her job in the Department of Creature Welfare and Wellbeing.

He is wrong.

"I'm pregnant!"

The squeal that he can hear in the background can only belong to Andy and Hadrian is hard pressed to stop smiling.

"That's amazing, Hermione! Congratulations! How's Ron taking it?"

Her laugh tinkles down the line and already Hadrian can imagine the rosy glow of pregnancy settling over his best friend.

"I'm not quite sure, he's still unconscious. He fainted the minute I told him."

A rolling of eyes and Hadrian knows that thousands of kilometers away, Hermione is doing the same thing.

"Typical."

"Yes, I know, Anyway, I just wanted to ask you a favour."

She sounds nervous for some reason.

"Name it and if it's within my power, then I'll be happy to oblige."

"Well, I was wondering if you would consent to being Rose's godfather?"

"Rose?"

"Yes! The healer told me that she's a girl. I already know her name. Nymphadora Rose Weasley."

In honor of the two women that Hermione essentially owed her life to. It is left unsaid, but it is there.

Rosalie had been a force to be reckoned with during the war. It had been from her that Hermione had learnt the finer points of blood-lust and war and the training had saved her life on more the one occasion. Tonks on the other hand, was the reason why Hermione was still alive. The pink-haired Auror had given her life to save Hermione and a group of other fighters that had been surrounded by a horde of Death Eaters. She had saved them, but in return it had cost her her life. And in a towering rage, her husband, Percy Weasley, had torn to shreds the Death Eaters that had killed his wife. He lost his own life however, when McNair had cast a severing charm at his exposed back.

In late February of 2004, Rosalie had discovered the prone form of Tonks at a battle site that the Order had been too late in arriving to. She had been a mere shadow of the vibrant woman that was known to the Order, and in the days following her healing, she had been practically catatonic. No-one had understood what had happened, or why she kept her silence even weeks later. Until Madame Pomphrey had discovered in early March that Tonks was pregnant, and that the unborn child was showing traits of being a werewolf. No-one needed to know anymore. The day that Tonks had been found was exactly the day after the full moon, and there was only one werewolf that would be so sick as to rape a woman whilst she was hurt. It was one of the contributing factors as to why Rosalie herself had sought out Fenrir Greyback weeks later and released the bloodlust that would later make her known as one of the most feared Order members.

During Tonk's pregnancy, it had surprised everyone when Percy Weasley of all people had been the one to piece back the pieces of the shattered Tonks and revitalize the woman. Two months before the birth of Teddy, they had married at the Burrow with Albus Dumbledore overseeing and when Teddy had been born in December of that same year, it had been Percy that had signed as the father.

"Umm… Shouldn't Ron have an input on this as well?"

A pause and Hadrian knows that this is something that Hermione has already decided on. And really, when Hermione had her mind set on something, pretty much nothing could change it.

"You know I'd love to, Hermione. I'm honored that you even asked me."

More squealing in the background and this time, even Hermione joins in. He doesn't want to know how many girls are with her at the moment. He just feels sorry for Ron. Sort of.

Ron and Hermione had married a week before the final battle. Yes, they were young, but in a time when the love of your life could be ripped from your side in a split second, it was a step that they felt they were more than ready to make. The ceremony had been small, only attended by immediate family and the closest of their friends, but it was more than enough for the couple.

"Thank-you, Hadrian! I'm only two months at the moment, but I know that Ron will agree with me. We'll hold the naming ceremony until you and Rosalie get here."

"That sounds great, Hermione. Thanks for waiting."

"Oh don't worry about it! Okay, I need to go now! I still haven't told Molly yet and Ron's still unconscious."

She hangs up before Hadrian can even say goodbye.

He meets the eyes of his mother over the phone and despite the fact that he cannot read minds, he already knows what she is thinking. He sighs, even as he fishes his car keys from out of the pocket of his jeans.

"It'll be a whole year before it's even needed, Mom."

She waves off his words as if they were inconsequential.

"Darling, the sooner we find a present for the baby, the better! Anyway, we need more than one. First present is for the baby shower that we'll be missing, no doubt. This means that it has to be perfect since we won't be there to present it ourselves. And then we need a present for when Rose is actually born, and then of course comes the gift for the naming ceremony. See, Hadrian? Much better if we go shopping now."

"Fine, but I'm pretty sure that you won't find what you're looking for in Port Angeles."

She gives him a quizzical look.

"Port Angeles? Sweetheart, we're going to Seattle."

"How long will we be there for?"

"Not sure, why?"

"Sirius' flight gets in the day after tomorrow."

"Oh don't worry darling, we'll be back home by then." She pauses momentarily,

"Or we could stay longer, I mean, it would serve him right if he showed up and no-one was here."

Another sigh as Hadrian treks out of the house and makes for the garage.

"Fine, whatever."

And even though his body language speaks otherwise, a small smile plays over his lips and it is obvious that he is happy.

* * *

Days earlier finds Jacob Black sprawled in a forest clearing. He hasn't transformed in days and he knows that the wolves of his pack are worried about him. It can't be helped. How can he willingly share his innermost secrets when he can't even reconcile them with himself? How is he meant to face them? He knows he is being unreasonable. Leah had endured the link despite the fact that the other wolves had known all of her deepest feelings. But he justifies his fear for being reasonable. None of them have imprinted on a member of the same sex. None of them have imprinted on a vampire. And in all honesty, Jacob is unsure which of the two he finds more overwhelming.

He is shirtless, as always, and his eyes are closed as he leans back into the embrace of the grass beneath him. Jacob has never understood meditation, doesn't understand anything to do with it, but he knows that in some way, this is his own form of meditation. His own way of centering himself and clearing his mind, or whatever it is that is usually meant to be done.

Slow breaths in. Slow breaths out. He closes his ears against the world and listens only to the beating of his own heart. The _thump_, _thump_, _thump _of blood being pumped through his veins, rushing through his body. And slowly, he loses himself. Away from the world and away from his problems, it's-

-**CRACK**!-

The sound of a snapping twig is so loud that it is in sharp contrast to the silence within Jacob's own mind. He leaps to his feet in an instant and has centered his body and bared his teeth at the threat before he can even gather his mind around any of it. It's an instinctual thing to defend territory that is strictly yours, and this clearing has always been Jacob's.

"Calm down! Geez!"

The scent hits him before the words have been processed.

"Leah?"

He is dazed slightly and Leah's laugh is testimony to how obviously clueless he looks.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Typical of his Beta to ask how he is in the most insulting way possible. Odd, but typical. He lays back down. Arms crossed beneath the back of his head, eyes fluttering closed. He is safe here in his clearing, with Leah settling cross legged beside him.

He shuts his eyes again and evens out his breathing as he calms down.

"I'm serious, Jake. What the hell is your problem? You're worrying the rest of the pack."

He'd know that this would come sooner or later. He can't spend an eternity avoiding his pack, no matter how much he wants to.

He considers lying and telling her that nothing is wrong, but this is his Beta, his second in command and he knows that she of all people deserves to know the truth.

"I did something stupid, Leah. Really, really, stupid."

She studies his face carefully. His eyes are closed but she knows that even if they were open they would show pain. It is tangible in his voice. There are creases marring his youthful face and Leah knows that despite the words that she'd like to say, this is no place for her cynicism or her sarcasm.

"Jake?" her voice is worried and it is this more than anything else that lets Jacob know that it is time to come clean. His pack will find out eventually. Better that they hear it from him then from anyone else, or from the link when they next phase together.

He has had his speech planned for a while and it spews forth from his mouth. It is nearly word for word the same thing that he confessed to his father. It has been a few days since the imprinting, but the shock is no less evident in his voice.

Leah is silent as she processes the words. What to say, what to say? What can she say? She chooses silence and instead waits for her Alpha to continue speaking. She knows that he has to work through this himself.

"I… I don't know what to do, Leah. I imprinted on a _boy_! A _vampire_ for God's sake! What the hell am I meant to do about that? I mean… Dear God, has this ever happened before? Ever? I just… God, why couldn't I imprint on someone _normal_!"

He finishes with a final frustrated sigh and Leah can't help but at least set him straight with at least one point.

"Normal? Jake, like you can talk about being _normal_? So what, it's a boy! Who the fricken' hell cares!"

"Leah, you don't-"

"Don't what, Jake? Understand? Well, you're right, I _don't_ understand! I've never imprinted before, remember? I've never met someone that was Nature's own choice as the other half of my soul. I've never met my bleeding _soul mate_, so no, I _wouldn't _understand!"

Her voice is bitter and harsh but she knows that this is what Jake needs right now.

"What the hell do you have a problem with, anyway? The fact that he's a boy, or that he's a leech?"

"I… Both."

She hits him upside the head and glares down at his face.

"Try that again, and this time tell me the truth. What's your problem with him?"

Jacob sighs but is hesitant to speak more.

"The Jacob Black I know wouldn't have a problem with what gender he imprinted on. The Jacob Black I know would just thank God that he even imprinted on anybody at all! He would be thankful that he'd even _found_ his bloody one in six billion! So try that again, Jacob. What the hell is your problem with your imprint?"

There is a muffled reply as he rolls over on his side and starts playing with the grass leaves between his large fingers. For the first time in a long while, he is acting his age and Leah smiles at this. The shifting has forced so many of the boys to grow up faster than they should and it is nice to see Jacob as the boy he should be as opposed to the man he is expected to be.

"What?"

More muffled words as he turns away from her and this time she sighs.

"Jake!"

"He's a _vampire_! I just… God, I spent so long hating them and warning Bella away from Cullen and then I go and-"

He stops abruptly as if he is contemplating before he continues.

"I know we're good with them now but… Look, I don't mind making nice with the vamps because my best friend is one. I just- never thought I'd end up imprinting on one."

"Is that it?"

"And… I've- never had feelings for a guy before! It's like, one minute I'm chasing after Bella and the next I realize I've gone and fallen in love with a boy I've met once for a total of 5 minutes!"

"And that's how imprinting works. So what? Sure you've got a slight problem, but you'll get over it eventually, and do what's right."

"The pack-"

"Will understand. We're your friends, Jacob. Your family. Your sword when you need us to fight for you and your shield when you need protection. It's sorta like we're all married. You know, in sickness and in health so long as we all shall live and all that other crap."

Laughter erupts from the both of them as they let their imagination roam with the idea of marriage between the pack members, and even though Jacob still has reservations about his imprint and what he's going to do, it's okay. Because he has Leah and the rest of his pack and he knows that he should have realized this sooner. His pack will understand. Now all he has to do is figure out if he can.

* * *

Forks is the kind of name that Sirius can appreciate. It is the kind of name that Sirius himself would have named a town if he had ever been given a chance. Heck, even Remus can see the joke in naming a town after an eating utensil. Yes, Forks is the kind of name that Sirius can appreciate. The place itself though? Not so much.

When they touch down in Port Angeles it is drizzling outside and Sirius is far from being pleased. The flight (or flights to be exact, due to the fact that they'd had to take 4 different connecting flights to get here) had been far too long, his seat neighbours far too noisy, the flight attendants far too hospitable. All in all it was a trip that Sirius refused to take again. And as if to mock his ever growing headache, it was raining outside. He didn't even think about it as he grabbed the keys from the woman manning the desk of the car rental company at the airport, simply snatched the keys from her hands, threw them over to Remus and started trudging over to where the car was parked. The sooner they found his godson and Rosalie, the sooner they could leave and be back on good old British soil. Screw this 'New World' crap. America had officially made it to Sirius' list of places he hated more than Azkaban, right alongside Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Returning from Seattle is anti-climatic. Rosalie had ended up buying out most of the stores that they'd been in to and Hadrian was hard pressed to stop laughing. The first clerk had almost had a heart attack when he'd rung up the final price. They'd decided to forgo taking all the purchases back with them and had instead sent all of them through freight to Andy. Hadrian had tried to convince Rosalie to buy less, but the argument had been like talking to a brick wall. His mother had decided that quality over quantity was a stupid argument and that she liked 'a quantity of quality goods' better. Hadrian hadn't known what to say to that. They'd thought to spend a few days in Seattle, but Aurors in the area seemed to be cracking down on vampire activity and so they had settled for leaving as soon as they had finished buying the last diamond encrusted baby rattle. Over the top, yes, but it was a style that Rosalie was known for, and of all the people in the world, she was the only one that could pull it off.

The car is silent as Hadrian drives them back home to Forks. _Home_… Odd that in such a small space of time he is already considering this place as home.

The drive is shorter then humanly possible, but it helps when the driver is a vampire with quick reflexes and a complete disregard for both his life and his safety. By the time they get home it is nearing twilight. The light is still muted and mostly hidden, but in Hadrian's eyes, the forest surrounding the house is still beautiful.

Rosalie, still on her natural high from shopping and spending excessive amounts of money flits into the kitchen and grabs two crystal wine glasses and a bottle of Zabini's finest. She leaves them on the counter for Hadrian and instead turns to the fridge. It is as she is appraising the empty fridge that Hadrian walks in and seats himself at the counter. Noticing the bottle and the glasses, he can only assume that his mother has decided to forgo hunting this day and he settles for popping the bottle open and pouring a generous amount into both glasses.

"We need food."

It is abrupt, the way she says it.

Hadrian is tempted to ask 'Why?', but he holds his tongue. He knows that Sirius will be here soon with Remus and even though Rosalie would be tempted to just lock them out and let them starve (Sirius more than Remus), Hadrian also knows that Rosalie loves cooking more then she loves tormenting Sirius.

He sighs though and wonders why they didn't buy the ingredients on their way back from Seattle. Again though, he decides not to voice his questions. Best not to ruin the good mood that his mother is in, especially with what he knows will be coming in the next few weeks.

He drains his glass and pulls out his phone swiftly. Opening a 'Memo' he waits patiently for his mother to close the fridge door. When she does, he finally asks,

"What do we need?"

The list she rattles off is extensive, but Hadrian's fingers fly seamlessly over his mobile phone and moments later he has saved the list into his phone memory.

"That all?"

He rises to leave.

His mother nods happily and Hadrian leaves the house once again with a smile playing over his lips.

* * *

"You should have just told us you know." Seth says playfully to Jacob as he slams himself into Quil and runs past the older youth to the parked car. Quil's shout is drowned out by Seth's laughter as the boy practically throws himself into the front passenger seat and locks the door. Fuming, Quil climbs into the back seat,

"I called shotgun you little runt!"

"First come, first serve, slow poke. You know the rules."

As Seth breaks out into louder peals of laughter, Leah climbs into the backseat with Quil and rolls her eyes at the words that the other boy seems to be muttering under his breath. Finally, Jacob settles himself in the driver's seat and soon they are speeding out of the Black front yard.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Sorta, needed to get my head around it."

"Understandable." Pipes up Quil from the back.

Leah settles for closing her eyes and leaning her head against the cool car window.

"But still! We're your pack! You shoulda just told us."

It is this that reminds Jacob yet again that Seth is the youngest of the wolves. His easy nature, his unfailing trust, his acceptance.

"So what's he like anyway? You never said."

Quil pokes his head through the gap between the driver's seat and the passenger's and he leans forward eagerly.

"Yeah, Jake. What's he like?" he says as he wiggles his eyebrows at the driver.

"Knock it off you two!" Jacob replies as he switches gears, all the while smiling.

Confessing to the pack had to have been the most nerve wracking moment of his life. But Jacob had done it, and despite the disbelief, the shock, they'd managed to pull through it as a pack. After the initial confession, they had shifted together for the first time in a long time, and the pack had managed to glimpse their first look at their Alpha's imprint.

He was beautiful. Even for a vampire, he was beautiful and the way he held himself was strong and capable. The pack only had a second to glimpse the image before it was gone and Jacob had phased back, blushing all the while. They hadn't minded though. Jacob still needed time to deal with his imprint and that was fine with them.

"Why are we going shopping anyway?" Leah's voice breaks through Jacob's line of thoughts.

"Because you guys ate all of our food and Rachel said the only way we're getting fed is if we go and buy the food so that she can cook."

"Either that or she just wanted some alone time with-"

"What was that, Leah?" Jacob asks over Leah's mutterings.

His Beta shakes her head with a roll of her eyes,

"Nothing."

"Thought so." He answers back with a smirk and Leah pokes her tongue out at him in the rearview mirror.

"But why aren't we going to the shop at the Rez?"

Quil this time.

"Because the supermarket in town is the only one that sells in bulk and if you haven't noticed, we tend to eat a lot."

They go quiet at that because they all know that it is true.

When they pull up to the parking lot, it is mostly empty. Parking is easy enough, and grabbing four trolleys and filling them all to the brim is even easier. It is as Jacob is reaching for the last item on his sister's list that he stops.

The scent hits him like a head on collision and he is powerless to stop as his whole body seems to freeze.

"Jake?"

"… Jacob?"

" Hey, Jake?"

Faintly he is aware that Leah, Seth and Quil are asking if he is okay, but his mouth doesn't seem to want to work, and his brain doesn't seem to want to function. For now, there is only this heavenly scent.

When he walks around the corner, mobile phone in one hand, brows creasing in annoyance as he glares at the small technological wonder, Jacob feels every breath in him leave. It's like being back at that clearing all over again, but this time it is so much stronger, so much more raw. Jacob's head spins as his whole world reorients itself. It is no longer gravity holding him down to the Earth, but this wonderful creature walking carefully towards him. This perfect creation that is now his own personal sun that his own world will revolve around for the rest of eternity.

His mouth goes dry and palms sweaty as he tries in vain to say something as his imprint draws ever nearer.

"You look like you could use some help."

The words are out before Leah can even think of them. She knows though, that she is doing this for Jacob, her Alpha, and her friend whose brain seems to have shut down beside her. It's a funny situation that they will all laugh about when they get home, no doubt (maybe not Jacob, but the rest of them anyway).

The scent that he gives off is definitely different from any vampire scent that has graced her nose. It's not the disgustingly cloying scent of the Cullen's. The kind of scent that used to make her want to tear at their throats instinctually. She can smell lavender and vanilla and roses, and holding all those scents together seems to be the faintest trace of honeysuckle and something else that she can't quite put her finger to. Something that makes her mind flash back to sunsets and the feeling of being alive.

She shakes her head lightly as she tries to concentrate on the young man before her.

"Why, are you offering?"

His face is blank as he stares back at her.

"Yes I am." She smiles warmly. Holding out a hand she offers, "The name's Leah Clearwater."

When he takes her hand, it is cool against her skin and once again, she wonders again why she does not feel compelled to attack.

"Hadrian Hale."

And then she becomes completely shocked when the dark haired youth raises her hand to his mouth and gently brushes his lips over the back of her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you." He drawls.

In his mind, Hadrian knows that it's not a common practice amongst the teens of this age, but his mother had raised him as a perfect pureblood Lord. There was no way he was going to disgrace those teachings.

Beside her, Leah can feel Jacob tense, anger and killing intent reeking from his body. Carefully she retracts her hand back to her side and wipes the back of it against her shirt, trying unobtrusively to rub away the scent. Better to be thought of as rude then have her Alpha rip her apart for being too close to his imprint.

Indicating her friends beside her she says carefully,

"This is Quil Ateara, my younger brother Seth, and -"

"Jacob Black." Hadrian says neutrally, inclining his head in greeting.

Not knowing anything better to do, Leah elbows Jacob in the ribs. It is not as discreet as she would have liked, but it works its charm as Jacob clears his throat and answers back hesitantly,

"H-Hi."

Insert long awkward pause as Jacob stares quite intently at Hadrian Hale's face.

In desperation Leah once again speaks, without actually thinking,

"Oh, you know each other?"

When Hale raises an eyebrow and answers with a, "Yes we do, as I'm sure your Alpha has already told you." Leah almost wants to hide her head in embarrassment. Instead, she settles for asking another question.

"So what do you need help with?"

Hadrian looks down the aisle and then peers over his shoulder, back the way he came.

"I don't know the difference between Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil." He levels a steady look at her.

"Well it depends what you're cooking doesn't it?" Seth interjects as he pushes his way to stand in front of his sister.

"What _are_ you cooking anyway?" He asks earnestly as he peers closely into Hale's face.

"Chicken, steak, beef, lamb… Meat."

"I thought leeches didn't eat normal food?" The question is out of the younger boy's mouth and Leah wants to smack the boy over the head.

Hale smirks at the youngest wolf as he replies,

"We don't, but we have a few people dropping in later on, who do."

"Hmm, in that case… Olive Oil, definitely!" her younger brother says it with such conviction that it's almost laughable.

Turning around the younger boy rushes to grab a bottle off of the shelf and runs back to shove into the hands of Hadrian Hale.

"Well… Thanks."

"No problem." Seth replies with an easy smile.

It's such an infectious grin that Hadrian can't help but smile back in return. And without another word, the youth turned his back on them and was gone, his scent lingering lightly on the air.

* * *

-THUNK!-

-THUNK!-

-THUNK!-

-THUNK!-

-THUNK!-

-THUN-

"Jacob Black, you stop that this instant before I take a frying pan to your head!"

-NK!-

At the table, Jacob rests his much abused head against the table that he was previously slamming his head against.

"I can't believe it…" he mutters dejectedly to no-one in particular.

Across the table, Quil and Seth are hard pressed not to laugh. In the kitchen, he can hear Rachel cooking and Paul laughing and joking with her. Leah, beside him, pats him on the back lightly,

"It's okay, Jake, maybe next ti-"

A low predatorily growl escapes from Jacob's mouth as his lips draw back in a snarl. She flinches at the sound and withdraws her hand away from her Alpha. She's already scrubbed her hand raw trying to get rid of the scent of Hadrian Hale, but she's positive that despite it, her Alpha can still smell the scent on her. Either that or he was still jealous about the incident.

A sigh escapes him and Leah gives him a hesitant smile in return,

"Sorry, it's just… I can't believe I froze like that! I-"

-THUNK!-

His words failed him and apparently Jacob thought hitting his head against the hard surface of the table would perhaps jog his memory.

"Jake!"

Rachel's screeching from the kitchen was enough to make him cringe as his head lay against the surface of the table.

"He probably hates me now. Probably thinks I'm an incompetent idiot. Probably thinks I'm fucking _retarded_! I bet he won't want me now. I bet he finds someone else and-"

-SLAM!-

Jacob's chair cashes back against the floor as he flings himself upwards, his hands flying to his aching head where, just seconds earlier, it had been violently intimate with the frying pan in Rachel's hand.

"Just shut _up_ already! So what? Get over it! If you're so upset about it then go over and change it you overgrown idiot! Now stop sulking and get your head off the table I'm about to set for dinner!"

* * *

It is as Hadrian is packing away the groceries into the cupboard and fridge that his mother walks in.

"Get everything?"

"Yep."

She wrinkles her nose as she draws further into the room. A single eyebrow rises in question as she walks around the room, lightly sniffing at the air. When she stands behind Hadrian, she notices that the scent seems to be wafting from his body. Surreptitiously she sniffs at his hair.

"What are you doing?"

Or maybe _not_ so surreptitiously.

"Why do you smell like wet dog?"

"I ran into the La Push wolves at the supermarket."

"Oh really? What did they want?"

"Nothing. I think they were shopping. Ms. Clearwater and her brother helped me choose the oil."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

He puts away the last of the cans and Rosalie smiles at the domestic picture before her.

"I hope you were-"

"Fear not, mother dearest. I was every bit the gentleman you have raised."

"Good. Manners are-"

"What makes the difference between _us _and _them_. I _know_ that, Mother. I honestly wish that sometimes you would heed your own words."

"I'm your mother, and a Lady at that. I have no need to waste my manners on those beneath me."

He chuckles loudly at the words and throws a loving smile at Rosalie. It's nice to be able to banter so freely again. To be able to be _themselves_ again.

"What do you say we-"

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

Rosalie stops herself mid-sentence and cocks her head to the side as her hearing picks up on a beating heart drawing ever nearer. There are two sets, one beating almost twice as fast as the average human, the other beating at an odd rhythm that has no uniform beat. In the background, she can make out the crunch of tires on stone and she shudders. She knows _exactly_ who these people are, and she's not sure if she should be happy or not that they are here.

Hadrian smiles as his mother goes quiet. He too knows who is coming, but he likes watching the conflicted face of his mother as she tries to decide between being happy that he's followed her here, or being annoyed that he'd even think that she'd _want_ him here. All the while, Hadrian's thumb runs over the small star-shaped scar on the inside of his wrist. He has few scars littering his body, but those that he does have are mementos of the fiercest of his battles.

The faded lightning bolt on his forehead from where Voldemort had hit him with a failed Avada Kedavra, thrice. The perfect circular scar on the side of his neck from where the Carrow twins had almost drilled a three inch piece of steel through his neck. The three claw marks from when a rogue werewolf had almost mauled him to death when he'd been a child, before the blood adoption. And of course, the star-shaped scar from when a group of hybrids had attacked him at once and set themselves to trying to rip his body limb from limb. It was quite amazing that he'd even walked away with his life. Well, sort of life, anyway.

Even in the wizarding world, hybrids were a curious creature. Not quite part of one world and not quite part of another. They were too alive to be considered vampires, and yet at the same time they were too 'dead' to be considered human. It was a perilous line that they attempted to tread as they sought to find a place in the world for themselves. Hybrids by nature had been blood-thirsty and without morals. They had thrived in the thickness of battle, had craved for the deaths of any and every living thing. Without a doubt, every single one of them had been the same, no exceptions.

As the war had escalated and Voldemort had started actively recruiting them, hybrids became even more feared by the general populace, more hated. And they in turn, gave as good as they got.

It was by complete accident that Hermione had discovered how hybrids 'ticked'. They'd managed to capture a rogue hybrid during one of the skirmishes against the Death Eaters. The hybrid had suffered damage during the altercation and it was Hermione that had demanded she do the healing to ensure that no-one tried to actually _kill_ the prisoner. Because of a hybrid's dampened immunity to spells, she'd had to forgo the usual diagnosis spell and had instead had to make do with a muggle blood test. Getting the blood from the unconscious body had been the easy part. It was the diagnosis that had been mind-blowing.

Hadrian had lost count of the number of tests that Hermione had put the blood sample through. What he did know was that when Hermione was finally willing to talk, she'd been none too pleased with her findings.

* * *

"How sure are you of this?"

"100 per cent. I completed over a dozen tests, Hadrian. I wish I was wrong, you don't know how much I wish I was, but I'm not. The tests were all conclusive."

A new voice breaks in, completely serious and with a slight tinge of disgust,

"Let me get this straight… You're telling me that hybrids are _programmed_ to be the way they are. Bloodthirsty killers without any conscience whatsoever."

Hermione nods at Ron's words.

"Hybrids have an extra chromosome that makes up their DNA. In humans, it would usually mean that the person would be autistic or something similar, but the gene in hybrids is directly related to their behavioral patterns. I can conclusively say that it is this extra chromosome that makes hybrids act as they do. Without morals, without prejudices, without distinction when they kill."

Hadrian, at the head of the table nods carefully. Making eye contact with Ron, they nod seriously at the same time.

"Is there any way that the extra chromosome could be removed? What would happen if we did that?"

"It'd kill them."

"So there's nothing that can be done for them?" Ron this time.

She shakes her head dejectedly.

"Hermione… You know what this means."

She lets out a shaky breath but nods all the same. Steeling herself for what is to come, she meets his eyes unwaveringly.

"I know."

Following that, the Ministry had enacted a new species law refusing to give hybrids a place in the wizarding world. They'd been actively culled and systematically destroyed. The hybrids hadn't taken well to that and had fought back hard. Deaths had escalated to millions thanks to them, and there was no love lost when the hybrid body count started climbing high. By the end of the war, Voldemort's hybrids had either been killed or were in hiding from wizards.

Hadrian's encounters with the not quite vampires, not quite humans, had only fueled his dislike towards them until it had flared into a burning ember of hostility. Rosalie had had to watch as her son almost died because of them and she'd hated them with the fury of an enraged mother-bear ever since.

* * *

They were going to see Rosalie tomorrow.

Alice wasn't sure if she should be happy about that. Rosie had seemed so happy in her vision. So content with her life, for the first time since, well… forever. Alice didn't care that this Hadrian was Rosie's son. She didn't care about some man named Sirius Black and what his relations with Rosalie might have or might still be. Alice just wanted her sister happy, and after the debacle with Emmett, if that happiness lay somewhere else, she was willing to step back and let that happen. After the way Rosalie had been hurt, she deserved that happiness more than anything.

Downstairs, Alice can hear the tinkling of piano keys as Edward plays Renesmee's lullaby for the child that is resting in Bella's arms in a nearby couch.

It is as she is making her way out the window to feed that it hits her. At the distress of her emotions, Jasper dashes into the room, a soft "Alice?" on his lips as his arms find themselves around her waist. She screws her eyes shut and starts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance backwards in Tahitian. After the disaster with her last vision, there is no way she was letting Edward see this one.

_The scene is an odd one. Half of it fuzzy and unclear, like looking through a misted window, and the other half startling in its clarity. Even with this though, they make an almost otherworldly picture._

_He (with his blurred stature and physique, Alice is positive that it is a man) is sprawled on the couch, one arm stretched over the back, stretching around the beautiful blonde statuesque (and clear) woman that is curled into his side. Her head is tucked into the crook of his neck, their heads bent together like two flowers reaching for the same sun, her golden threads mixing with his ebony strands. In her hand, she lazily swirls a wine glass with crimson liquid flowing within it. They look like the perfect picture of contrast. Light and dark so intimately close._

_A teenage boy sits on the floor before them, leaning his back against the legs of the older man that he looks so much like. He tunes them out, instead focusing on the small mobile phone that keeps him occupied._

_The woman ("Rosie…" Alice breathes out, non-existent heart clenching at the sight) finally drains the last dregs of the liquid and unconsciously the young man before the couple reaches blindly back, grabs a hold of the glass and places it beside him on the floor._

_Rosalie smiles at the act and ruffles the boy's hair affectionately from behind._

_With his blurred features and bright amber (how odd, Alice thought) eyes, he looks like the perfect combination of the couple seated on the couch behind him._

_When Rosalie speaks, it is soft and lilting, but in the mindscape of Alice, the words echo like raging thunder._

"_You didn't have to come, Siri."_

_She says this as she lets her eyes flutter closed. The man (Sirius, Alice notes) tightens his hold around the blonde and kisses the top of her head._

"_I didn't have to, but I did anyway."_

_He pauses as he stares down at her, small smile playing over his lips,_

"_I love you, Rosalie Hale. I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth."_

And just like the vision came, it leaves just as quickly, leaving behind an even more depressed Alice.

It was bad enough that Alice hadn't wanted to upset Rosalie's happiness before. Now though? Now Alice would feel like a complete tool if they destroyed what was so obviously a loving family.

* * *

In a car speeding through the forests of Forks, Sirius Black shivers in the passenger seat at the ominous feeling that rushes through his body. Maybe it is omen of what is to come?

He considers the fact that he'd followed after Rosie without her consent or approval. He considers the ferocious temper she is known to have and the fact that she probably wouldn't appreciate this act of kindness (selfishness is what she'd probably call it).

"I'm _so_ fucking screwed." Sirius laughs. Sure the odds areagainst him, but he'd always liked gambling with high-stakes.

Maneuvering the car with ease, Remus rolls his eyes at his idiotic best friend,

"You only just realized?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Escalating – The Cullen's plus Sirius can only equal disaster. Throw in Jacob Black and Hadrian's about to get more than he bargained for.

* * *

I bet you all thought that I'd give up on this and it'd be on hiatus indefinitely... Well, you're wrong! :) I promise that no matter how long it takes me to upload, I will finish this fic, have no fear.

There's a flashback there with Ron, Hermione and Hadrian, I hope you all got that.

Anyway, please review. Give me what you thought, what you like, what you hate, whether Rosalie will end up with Sirius or not, whether Hadrian and Jacob will be together, anything you're thinking, let me know.

Thanks again to everyone that reviewed, added as a favorite and put on an alert.

- Des.


	5. Chapter 5

To begin with let's just say I am so incredibly sorry about this long overdue update. To make it up to you though, I'm holding a competition for the readers in regards to Chapter 6 :) Please read the Author's Note at the end. Also, a big hand to my beta: **femaleprongslet**. Other then that, please enjoy :)

* * *

**Escalating**

Looking back, Rosalie can honestly say that she has loved Hadrian since the day they met. He'd been a tiny little thing, walking around in much too large clothing, struggling under the amount of groceries that he was attempting to purchase. She'd only been there to kill time while she was waiting for an acquaintance to show. The muggle world wasn't where she usually conducted business, but she was _The Honorable Lady Hale _in the Wizarding World and for this transaction at least, she needed the privacy that only the muggle world could afford, so she'd wandered into a nearby supermarket in the town of Little Whinging. She'd only meant to stay but a few minutes whilst pretending to browse the shelves, but instead she had become enamored with the alluring green-eyed street urchin that had rushed past her just moments before. Years on and Rosalie can still say that she loves Hadrian with the same intensity that she loved that fragile looking child that she'd saved from those beasts that had held custody over him. It hadn't been hard to get the elder Dursley's charged with child abuse and thrown in jail for an indefinite amount of time (after all, evidence can get you a few years in jail but only _money _can afford a sentence that officially, was a few years but unofficially, never-ending). The younger Dursley, Dudley she believed his ghastly name was, had been put into foster care, and she'd snatched up her dear sweet Hadrian and taken him home the very first instant she could. The government officials had not been pleased when she'd stated that she'd be adopting the boy, but money, the large amounts of money that only an Old English family can afford, was a language that the officials seemed to understand quite clearly in the end.

* * *

Andromeda gasped in surprise.

"I… Darling, _really_…" She trailed off, at a loss as to what to say.

"Say yes."

When Kingsley smiled at her, his teeth sparkling in their intensity, she couldn't help but nod at the sentiment. Carefully, she plucked the tickets from his hands and drew her gaze over them.

"But Teddy-"

"Has a set of grandparents and countless uncles that would be more than glad to take him for a few days. In case you've forgotten, Hadrian also has an open invitation for baby-sitting the little squirt. Teddy is of course practically his Godson, and Rosalie loves the child just as much as Hadrian does. Sirius and Remus will be there soon too. Relax, they're quite capable of looking after one child, I mean they _did _survive the war."

"But Molly-"

"Has enough on her plate with Hermione's pregnancy and Bill's children running rampant around the burrow. Fleur and Bill won't be back for another two weeks. I've already informed her and she thinks it's brilliant that Teddy will be seeing Hadrian."

"Teddy will-"

"Love spending some time in a new country with Hadrian and Rosie."

"I don't know…" She worried, her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip.

Kingsley bent down and kissed the top of her head,

"It will be fine, you'll see."

* * *

-SMASH!-

"Rosie, please!"

"Why are you _here_?"

Another glass goes flying through the air and once again, faster than the human eye can comprehend, Sirius moves to dodge it just in time- a skill that he'd acquired thanks to his former years as a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and later honed to perfection after his subsequent altercations with Rosalie.

"What else was I meant to do? You both left, without a word let me tell you, and I was worried!"

-SMASH-

"Well you didn't _have_ to be!"

In her absolute rage, Rosalie looks nothing like a normal human woman would, instead her hair flies about in such an array that she seems even more breath-taking than normal. Hadrian can only think that this is the main reason Sirius tries so hard to make Rosalie mad, to push her into this state of beautiful violent rage.

"Excuse me if someone being worried about you makes you uncomfortable!"

"It's not uncomfortable, it's UNWANTED!"

"Unwanted my ass! You're just being an insolent little child!"

"And you're nothing but a Merlin-be-damned moronic fool! Who do you think you are, chasing after me like I'm one of your Hufflepuff hussies?"

The champagne flutes are smashed into dozens of pieces on the floor behind Sirius, so Rosalie changes tactics and instead reaches for a plate. When it goes flying through the air, it is Sirius' surprised face that it misses by less than an inch.

"What the FUCK! WOMAN! STOP THROWING THINGS AT ME!"

"MAKE ME!"

To the side, seated on one of the off-side kitchen benches, Hadrian sips at a warm glass of rabbit-blood. Beside him, Remus thumbs through a book, sniffing every so often at the heated argument that seems to grow in volume with each passing outburst. It's obvious that Remus is more annoyed than anything else, but Hadrian, well he can't help but smile quite widely at the picture of Sirius and his mother. Sirius with his cheeks flushed a bright red, his ebony hair in disarray, and Rosalie with her flyaway golden mane forming an almost-halo around her. In Hadrian's eyes they look like two war-torn lovers forever to be separated by the battlefield; in reality however, they more resemble two half-starved dogs fighting tooth and nail over scraps of meat.

"Fifty says Rosalie runs out of things to throw before they stop yelling."

Remus doesn't even look up from his book when he makes the proposition.

"A hundred says she'll stop before she touches the Cortez Plate Collection." Hadrian replies.

"We'll see." Remus hums as he flips another page and continues reading.

* * *

When Remus hands over the money, his grumbling is all that is heard. Smugly, Hadrian slides the money into his wallet, which he returns swiftly into the back pocket of his jeans.

"I really should stop betting against you. At this rate, I'll be more broke than Sirius' motorcycle."

"Don't be so overdramatic. It was only a hundred."

"Today it's a hundred. Tomorrow, it'll be my last knut. I know you Hadrian, you'll milk me for every last dollar. Just like Sirius really. Bleed me dry, you will, smiling all the while."

Before he can reply, Remus has already turned his back on him, suspicious eyes looking over his shoulder.

"I've got my eyes on you, mister." He warns as he departs.

Hadrian rolls his eyes and laughs lightly at the dramatics, "Whatever."

When he enters the kitchen again, it's to an epic mess of shattered glass and china. As he'd predicted, the Cortez Collection was the only survivor. Really, his mother held too much sentiment with those plates.

Cleaning was quick and easy, with his heightened senses and speed it was completed in no time at all.

"Damn, I'll have to go shopping for plates tomorrow. Bloody Sirius. Looks like they'll be foraging for their own food tonight. " At this thought, Hadrian flits away into the surrounding forest, searching for his prey. Through all this though, he can't stop the insistent set of chuckles that follow him. He can already imagine the pout that Sirius most probably has on his lightly scarred face.

* * *

The next day dawns brightly with a scent in the air that can only be trouble. At the New Hale Manor however, this is instead confused with the scent of Sirius.

"I'm going to FUCKING KILL YOU!"

When Remus emerges from his room just a few doors down from Hadrian's, rubbing at his eyes blearily, it takes all of his brain power to concentrate on his mouth and the words that he attempts to speak coherently.

"What… Happened?" He yawns.

Hadrian's response, though short, is all that is really needed, "Mother."

When he enters the kitchen minutes after the yelling has stopped, with a bottle of Zabini's in hand, Hadrian is surprised to see that Rosalie already has a bottle open, a large smile on her face as she sips daintily from the bottle.

"Are you celebrating?" He asks questioningly, head tilting to one side, eyebrows creased in confusion. Another trait from his mother.

She scoffs at her sons question, "With a Zabini's? Oh please, Sirius isn't worth that. No, I received a call from Andy. Teddy will be in our care beginning today."

"And you didn't tell me?"

As Hadrian pours himself a mouthful from the already opened bottle, he tries to drown out the voice of the recently entered Sirius. He'd barely had enough to drink the night before. His be-damned laughter had seen to it that he scared his prey off before they'd even seen him coming.

"Oh like you care." She flicks her hair behind an elegantly bare shoulder and throws a withering glance at him.

"I _do_ care! Teddy's _my_ family member, remember?"

"And yet Andy called _me_, I wonder why?" Her haughty laughter is enough to make Sirius growl lowly in agitation.

Hadrian doesn't even bother to call out that he is leaving when he makes his escape. He simply grabs his car keys and nods to Remus on his way out.

He loves his mother and father-figure more than the world, but their incessant arguing could drive even the Pope over the edge. Generally a few hours away would be enough to ensure that when he returned, both tempers would have diffused.

"And where are you going?"

The voice stops him before he can cross the threshold to the safety of the outside world. Usually his mother was disinclined to nose into his business, but he can only imagine that with Sirius around, even she needs a break away from the house.

"Shopping. We seem to be lacking in cutlery and the like."

She nods back thoughtfully to her son and just in time, manages to snatch the flying car keys just seconds before they would have made contact with her face.

"We can go to Port Angeles if you want, might as well pick up some new clothes for Teddy while we're there."

The breathtaking smile from his mother is all he needs before he's flitted, faster than lightning, into his car, fingers tapping impatiently as he waits for his mother to climb into the driver's seat. The car may be his, but he can tell by her demeanor that she needs the stress relief more than he does, and what better way than through fast cars and expensive shopping?

As the car flies out of the family residence, Hadrian can only smile at how well he knows his mother.

* * *

When Sirius finally returns to the bottom floor of the house with a small bottle of pills clutched tight in one hand, he cringes at the stillness of it all. In the past he has always been able to gauge how mad Rosie has been at him through moments like these. The more silent the stillness, the more disinclined she was to forgive him. He can only imagine, that with this amount of oppressive non-movement, Rosalie was holding a grudge the size of Texas; or at the very least, the size of her ego. Tip-toeing across the polished redwood floor, he stumbles across Remus sprawled over one of the couches, a book in one hand and a half-empty tumbler of a questionable amber liquid in another. Sirius decides not to ask the obvious question because he knows that Remus has always had odd drinking hours. Instead he settles for tossing the bottle of pills to his friend.

As usual, the werewolf's reflexes are fast and efficient, and in no time his book is disregarded and the bottle pressed to his nose as he inspects the contents through the tinted brown glass.

"What's this?"

"A variant of the suppressant pills that you and Hadrian helped Snape work on."

He has to admit that he's half tempted to mock the old slimy bat, but Rosie and Hadrian had a somewhat tentative friendship with the Potions Master and he'd promised (been _coerced_ more like it) to keep the hostilities between the two of them at a bare minimum. Remus had been all for the reconciliation and that betrayal had ensured that the poor Lycan had been at the mercy of Sirius' pranks for months on end as retribution.

Remus nods thoughtfully at the explanation, but a frown mars his face regardless.

"I can understand why you have to take it, but why do I have to take it too?"

"With the shape shifters around, we can't take any chances. They have a keen sense of smell, but it's also pretty certain that they've never encountered a wizard before. The pill will mask the human scent, and amplify the natural scent of magic that lingers on magic-users. This way, Rosalie and Hadrian won't get any backlash from that treaty thing that the shifters have."

"Yes, I understand that, but why do _I_ have to take the pills too?"

"You may be a werewolf and a wizard, Remus, but last I checked you were also human. Ergo, you also have a semi-human scent on you. This pill masks the wolf scent on you and the human scent as well."

"So the scent of my magic is all that the shape shifters are going to smell?"

"Yep."

"… But why?"

"You're an alpha, Remus, need I say anymore?"

At the blank look that his best friend gives him, Sirius can only sigh at this strange course of events. Usually it was him being explained to, and Remus attempting to do the explaining.

"Seriously (no pun intended, so stop grinning like that), how many glasses have you had so far?"

When Remus looks down at the glass in his hand, as if realizing it for the very first time, Sirius has to slap his head in frustration.

"You know… I really don't know," is his best friends only reply before fixing Sirius with an intense stare, waiting for his questions to be answered.

"Remus, you're a werewolf. Typically wolves have a distinct sense of pack and territory. We are currently in some Godric forsaken place where our 'pack' has just established our new 'territory'. What do you think will happen when the wolf shifters realize that there is another wolf out there, living not too far from them?"

When Remus' eyes flash from gentle brown to sizzling liquid amber, Sirius almost wants to jump in joy at the moment of realization.

"I can only imagine that the minute they caught a whiff of another wolfs scent, they'd try to destroy it and its pack in the process." At the words, the sizzling liquid amber of Remus' eyes burn and darken until it seems as if only the black of his pupils can be seen.

"Exactly. We know that Rosie and Hadrian just want a few quiet months to themselves to let things back home settle down before they return. This of course means that we can't be drawing attention to ourselves, including picking fights with the locals. Which leads us to the conclusion that taking these pills for the duration of this stay will be easier than having to either field questions or attacks from the local flea-gang. Sound good?"

Even before Sirius has finished his tirade, Remus has already downed his pill with a mouthful of the questionable substance in his glass. Not to be outdone, Sirius snatches both bottle and tumbler from the werewolf and follows suit.

"Ergh…" The rebel Lord Black makes a face at the taste of the burning liquid running down the back of his throat.

"Really, Remus? Ogden's? At this time of the morning?"

* * *

The wind rushing through his hair as the car whizzes down the empty road is a feeling that takes Hadrian back to his youth, back when it had just been his mother and him. It brings a smile to his face that Rosalie notices with a small grin as she drives with the ease of a practiced professional. It is as they pass one of the boundaries of the La Push territory, past Forks on their way to Port Angeles that a faint scent makes its way to Hadrian's nose. The further along the road they get, the heavier the scent becomes until finally he realizes why it smells so familiar. He'd noticed this scent before; like cocoa and chocolate with a hint of something that made his mind flash back to being young, much younger than he is now. When he finally spots a figure on the side of the road ambling along slowly with hunched shoulders, Hadrian can't help but be confused. He's tempted to ignore the feeling, after all he really isn't here to make friends, but there is something about the approaching figure that Hadrian can't help but like.

"Slow down." he instructs his mother, and when she does, he nods to the black figure that draws ever nearer.

Of the La Push pack members that he'd met briefly, Hadrian would have to admit that Seth was by far his favourite. Maybe it was because of his immaturity, or maybe it was because of his youth, but there was something about the youngster that Hadrian liked. It might also have been the fact that Seth liked to ask the questions that no one wanted to ask, but everyone was thinking anyway. His openness and easy nature was something that made Hadrian smile. Rosalie had commented that it might have something to do with Seth being so young. Hadrian had always been good with children, loved taking care of them even (just another trait that Rosalie shared with him) and the fact that Seth was so young and also a member of the pack pretty much solidified in Hadrian's mind that as a wolf, Seth was still a child, a pup really- and just like Rosalie, Hadrian had always had a soft spot for kids.

When they pull up alongside the youth, his startled face is enough to make Hadrian laugh. Rosalie stops the car as Seth turns to face the two Hales in confusion.

"Where are you headed?" Hadrian asks.

His response is a non-committal shrug, "No where really. My sister's in one of her moods again." The younger teen makes a face at this and even Rosalie is hard-pressed not to smile, "I figured I'd make myself scarce for a while."

Hadrian considers the thought for a moment, and his goodbyes are at the tip of his tongue when he stops himself. Sure he'd never wanted to come here in the first place, and yes he'd told himself that he didn't have enough time here to make any real friends, but what was the harm of having even a single friend in Forks? Even _if_ they were _technically _supposed natural enemies.

Rosalie notices the look on Hadrian's face and rolls her eyes. Obviously her son has decided to adopt another stray; a bad habit that she blamed (and continues to blame) on Sirius. Really, her son couldn't go anywhere without finding some lonely person to befriend; Hermione, Ron, Ginny, the poor Creevey brothers that were always picked on, Neville. It exasperated her to no end, but at the same time it always brought a light smile to her face. She wouldn't have him any other way.

"Get in." She says suddenly, interrupting Seth before he can even manage to start a sentence.

"Wh-What?" The shifter asks wide eyed in confusion.

"Get in." She pauses at this and realizes that she's missing something, "Please."

The word rolls awkwardly from her mouth and even Seth can tell that it's a word that she seldom uses.

"Huh?" Is his brilliant reply in the face of such a command and Hadrian smiles at his mother in thanks before returning back to his new friend.

"We're going to Port Angeles to buy some plates. You've got nothing to do at the moment, right? Might as well tag along for the ride. You can show us where everything is."

Unnecessary considering his mother had been here plenty of times since they'd moved, thus she already knew the place like the back of her hand.

"U-Uh... Okay?"

When Seth gets into the backseat of the car, he does so hesitatingly. As soon as the door is shut behind him and his safety-belt safely buckled though, he goes flying back into his car seat as the car is pushed to its limits by the manic blonde driver.

Half an hour later and Seth can't help but grin at the turn of events. He really hadn't been sure about accepting the invitation from the newest resident leeches, but he was really glad that he had. The drive had been the experience of a lifetime. He'd never really been able to understand Jake's obsession with fixing cars and the like, but if it went towards something like this, well… Now he could see why. He'd thought that the drive there would be awkward, but it really hadn't been. Hadrian had asked just the right questions that, just a few minutes into the drive, Seth was talking a mile a minute, Hadrian responding and inquiring every so often, as if they'd been friends for longer than the one time that they'd met before. Even Rosalie had contributed to the conversation every now again, a small smile on her face. Once they'd entered Port Angeles, buying the plates and the like had taken less than 10 minutes and five minutes after found Seth and Hadrian seated outside a boutique store while Rosalie browsed through designer shirts that would look good on Teddy.

"… so she comes running into the kitchen, completely covered in this gunk mind you, and also completely naked and she picks up the first thing she sees and throws it at him. Unfortunately for my father, this also happened to be a meat cleaver that my Aunt Molly had been using to make dinner."

When Seth breaks out into peals of laughter, Hadrian smiles. He hadn't really intended on opening up to the boy, really all he'd wanted to do was prompt the boy into talking about himself and his pack, but instead the young Hale heir had ended up regaling the even younger shapeshifter with the love-hate stories that comprised Rosalie and Sirius' relationship.

"You're lying."

The viridian-eyed vampire raises his hands in defence and looks squarely into the younger boy's eyes, "No joke. You should have seen the mess they left after that. Looked like the aftermath of an atomic bomb or something."

They go quiet after this, Seth still laughing slightly at his imagined images of the sequence of events.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seth notices Hadrian turn slightly and peer in through a window; noticing his mother, a soft smile plays over his lips.

"You love your Mom a lot, don't you?" He asks softly.

Hadrian considers blowing off the question with his typical 'Of course I do'. But Seth has already explained to him his own love for his own mother, the most important woman to the young shifter in the world apparently, and Hadrian only feels that it's right to reciprocate.

"For a long time, she was all I had." He turns back to Seth, locks eyes with him and tells him seriously, "She's my entire world. If anything happened to her… I'd die."

There's something in his voice, the way his stare is boring into Seth that makes the younger teen realize that the vampire isn't lying. It's the complete truth. If anything _were_ to happen to his mother, then he'd most likely off himself not too long afterwards. The serious atmosphere that seems to have settled over them is something that Seth can't stand, so he decides to make light of it.

He laughs softly before he says, "Guess it'll be hard for you to find a wife. No matter who you marry I can't help but get this feeling that Rosalie's always gonna think that they won't be good enough for you."

Hadrian too laughs at this, before turning back to Seth, a smile once again dancing over his lips, "Probably. Although it might have more to do with the fact that me having a wife would be a bit odd considering I am not inclined towards girls."

When Seth's body freezes, Hadrian leans back coolly and examines him closely, "Does this bother you?"

He'd always been open about his sexuality. To a vampire it was the relationship that was more important than who was actually in it. As a result it is a well-known fact that Hadrian (and Harry, when he'd carried that name) favored the more masculine sex.

The large grin that cracks open over the youngsters face is definitely something that makes Hadrian like the boy even more,

"Nope! Not at all. My friend Jake, he doesn't like girls either."

Seth's grin is almost maniacal when he says this and Hadrian has the distinct feeling that he's being left out of a joke that he probably wouldn't understand anyway. He brushes the eerie feeling aside, before continuing,

"And of course, it would also be odd considering I only date those approved by my mother."

"What?" The youths shocked question makes Hadrian realize again the differences between the magical world and the muggle. He'd been raised as a pureblood Lord, the perfect heir to a wealthy family that dominated the social scene. It was only fitting that whoever he became involved with was someone that his family (which consisted solely of his mother and Sirius) approved of. Much different to the freedom that muggle youths were given in picking and choosing and discarding potential partners. It was because of this that Hadrian had dated (courted, in all honesty) only a handful of people.

"Family tradition. The parents must always approve of the partner before a courtship."

A pureblood tradition actually, but really how else was he meant to explain it?

"Courtship?"

"Dating. Before dating, the parents have to approve of the person that their child is dating."

"Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

The joke isn't lost on Seth and the boy throws a smile and a rolling of the eyes at the young Hale before continuing on,

"But what if-What if you were with someone that Rosalie didn't like?"

"Impossible. I wouldn't even consider being with anyone that my mother disliked."

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly. Even if I sort of liked them, there is no way that I'd ever actively be with someone that my mother didn't like."

"But… What if someone liked you but Rosalie didn't like them?"

"Then obviously there would be a zero percent possibility that I would end up with them."

"B-But! I- … What if they _wanted_ Rosalie to like them?"

It's the kind of question that normally Hadrian would let slide, but Seth has become a friend in the small-time they have known each other and Hadrian can't help but take the opportunity given.

Before Seth can so much as blink, Hadrian has moved so swiftly that he is but mere millimeters away from his face. Seth jumps back slightly at this, but Hadrian only moves closer, his face inching ever so nearer to the younger boy.

"Why, Seth?" He all but purrs, green eyes dancing mischievously in the dimmed light that constantly surrounds this area of Washington.

"Are _you_ interested in me?"

When Seth gulps, it isn't from nervousness at the close proximity that Hadrian has with him. He does so because in his mind's eye all he can envision is his Alpha, Jacob Black, tearing him limb from limb if he so much as even _looked_ at Hadrian in any way but friendly.

"N-No! It's just an honest question!"

He breathes a sigh of relief when Hadrian finally leans away from him, and can only hope that he can grab a shower before meeting with the pack later on. The last thing he wants is Jake to smell him covered with the scent of his imprint. Now _that _wouldn't go down so well.

"Relax." Hadrian drawls, reclining backwards on the bench, "I know you're as straight as they come." He winks at the younger boy who blushes lightly at the statement.

How long has it been since he's been able to joke around so freely with a friend? Hadrian wonders. How long has it been since he's been able to even _have_ new friends without constantly wondering if they were an enemy in disguise, if they were going to kill him the minute his back was turned? Hadrian wonders how he can feel so comfortable so quickly with someone that he barely knows and it is this more than anything that has him narrowing his eyes whilst the young shape shifter looks elsewhere. Now that he'd spent so much time around the youth and smelt his scent properly, Hadrian had to admit that there was something distinctly not-human about the younger teen, and it wasn't shape shifting abilities or the scent of wet-dog. Really, it was as if there was something almost _magical_ about him.

* * *

When the fireplace in the main lounge flares a bright green, Remus has already shot out of his seat and called for Sirius before the foot of the entering person has even touched the hardwood floor. Beside the werewolf, Sirius bounces on the balls of his feet in pure glee. In the Lord Black's opinion, this brief stint away from the wizarding could not get any better. He had his best friend, the woman he loved (and hated) more than the entire world, the young man that was practically his son, and now he was also going to be in the care of his youngest cousin. It was the kind of holiday that Sirius had always tried to plan, but to no avail.

"Andy!" He exclaims happily as he steps forward to hug the older woman. He does so awkwardly, taking care not to jar the young child in her arms. As he steps away from her, the child in question raises large light brown eyes to Sirius before holding out his small, chubby arms demandingly,

"Siwi!"

Sirius laughs at the impetuous pout on the tiny brat, but concedes to the order as he takes Teddy from Andy's arms and holds him tight in an embrace.

"Aww, I bet you missed me didn't you Teddy! Fear not, dear cousin, I-"

"Oh shut _up_, Sirius."

Andy's voice cuts through the room quite sharply, just as Kingsley steps through the last of the dying flames.

"Forgive her. We stopped by the Ministry before coming here so I could hand in some documents to be approved by my Under-Secretary. Unfortunately just as we were leaving, we ran into Mathew Fidow."

There is a small hiss that erupts from Andy at the sound of the name. Sirius looks thoughtful as he contemplates the name,

"Fidow… Fidow… Department of… Creature Wellfare?"

When Andy snorts at this, Kingsley nods his head and replies,

"Yes, that one. He's been trying to push through a Werewolf Registration Bill."

When Sirius goes white in the face, his eyes light up in realization as he turns slightly to Kingsley, patting Teddy lovingly on the back.

"Let me get this straight. Some idiot started harassing you about a possible Werewolf Registration Bill whilst you were in the company of Andromeda Tonks, who happens to be the leading voice in the fight for equal rights for magical creatures, and who also happens to have a grandson that, though not a full-fledged werewolf, has werewolf traits?"

At Kingsley's rueful smile, Sirius can't help but laugh long and loudly.

"Suffice to say, Mathew Fidow will not be available for work for the next coming months."

"Understandable. The war should have warned everyone that Andy is not someone to be tested, especially when it comes to her family."

Both men nod at Remus' words.

"We probably shouldn't mention this to Hadrian or Rosalie."

"You think we're idiots? Of course we won't. I only injured the poor excuse for a man. If Rosie or Hadrian ever find him, he'll probably not live to see the next day."

* * *

Rosalie has forsaken the driver's seat and instead seats herself in the back, with her purchases to keep her company. At the steering wheel, Hadrian reverses out of the parking lot swiftly with a maniacal laugh and throws an arrogant grin at a slightly pale Seth in the front passenger seat.

"Hold on."

The younger shape-shifter audibly gulps and Hadrian smiles even wider at the sound of the boy's heartbeat escalating.

"Relax," He laughs, "I'm a qualified driver."

In the backseat, Rosalie's laugh echoes in Seth's ears like mourning bells of doom.

The drive is smooth and after a few minutes Seth has already settled comfortably against the custom-made upholstery of his seat.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" He asks looking towards Hadrian and also turning backwards to look inquiringly at Rosalie.

Hadrian's eyes flicker to the rearview mirror and in the backseat, Rosalie makes eye contact.

They'd agreed earlier that day that Teddy's stay with them would be hidden. In the event that it was discovered that the baby was living with them (the living, breathing, completely alive baby) then they would pass him off as a cousin of Sirius'. What with the scent suppressants from Snape, the only scent that any creature would pick up from the were-child was the scent of his magic; a smell that no muggle creature would be able to understand.

* * *

In honesty, he really couldn't tell you what drew him to Hadrian, but there was something about him that made Seth Clearwater want to be near him. It definitely wasn't the feeling of imprinting, Jacob had already imprinted on the green-eyed vampire and the feeling that Seth had was far from love or even devotion. He'd tried to explain it to Leah later that night after Hadrian and Rosalie (or Mrs. H as he'd started calling her) had dropped him off where they'd found him initially; in a round-about sort of way, but she'd shot him down and simply told him to stay away from the boy until Jake had worked up the nerve to come clean with him. Seth could only grimace at the thought because he knew that Rosalie would be far from pleased at the idea of Jacob Black dating her only son. If anything, it could only really end in blood-shed (and he was hesitant to put his money on Jake, despite their friendship).

* * *

"I quite like him."

Hadrian's hand freezes in mid-air and Teddy frowns at the spoon just out of reach from his mouth. In agitation, the young child's eyes squeeze shut and his hair burns an angry red to show his disapproval at the act.

Catching himself, Hadrian resumes his task of feeding the youngster, "Sorry, squirt."

Teddy laughs at the apology and claps for more.

"Beg your pardon?" He asks, turning to his mother.

Rosalie seats herself next to Teddy and runs her hand through the soft red locks, slowly fading away to Teddy's usual turquoise hue.

"Clearwater… Seth. I quite like him. Well behaved and very sociable… Cute too."

"Mother, please. I'm not about to get myself involved with a shape shifter."

"Hasn't stopped you before." She says teasingly.

"Octavius was a long time ago. Let's leave it in the past, where it belongs." He warns sharply.

Rosalie smiles at Hadrian's stilted reply and laughs softly.

"Admit it; he's your type, isn't he?"

He sighs at his mother's antics, but resigns himself to the conversation.

"I… Admit that he has the same traits as some of my previous paramours. He is not, however, someone I would be inclined to court."

"Despite the fact that you couldn't take your eyes off of him the entire afternoon?"

He faces her now, completely serious in contemplation.

"There's something that draws me to him…"

"Attraction?"  
"No… Something that almost feels like… _Magic_…"

Hadrian trails off towards the end of the sentence, leaving Rosalie quite surprised.

Teddy's food is finished now and Rosie picks up the toddler and carries him to the lounge room, Hadrian following behind.

When she seats herself down, she places Teddy in her lap and the young boy reclines himself against her body. In mere moments his breathing has evened out and soft snores echo from the small child. Rosie runs a manicured hand through his hair as she tilts her head towards Hadrian lounging on the settee.

"Do you think it's anything hostile, dangerous? Should we be worried?"

"No, Seth is safe. It's… I can't explain it, but his personality just seems to _exude_ magic. It may be something latent that he's not even aware of himself."

"We'll have to ask Remus to take a look into it."

"Agreed."

* * *

"And where do you think you're going?"

Sirius pauses in his attempt to pull a sweater over Teddy's head.

"Nowhere."

"Siri…" Rosie growls, "Teddy hasn't even had breakfast yet. You are not-"

"You and Hadrian have been hogging him all week!" He pouts in hostility.

"We've only had him for one day!"

"Exactly! You and Hadrian got to steal Teddy yesterday. Today, me and Teddy-"

"Teddy and I."

"_Me and Teddy_," Sirius says with a wicked smirk on his face, "are going to take a drive into town and try some local cuisine."

"And how exactly do you intend to do this driving when you don't actually have a car?"

"We're taking Hadrian's."

When Hadrian flits into the room to hand over his car keys, all Rosalie can do is glare at her son for his betrayal.

"There is no way in **hell** I am letting Teddy anywhere near anything being driven by you of all people!" Faster than lightning, Rosalie has slammed the front door shut and stands before it like the prison guard she appears to be channeling.

"Well too bad, because we're going and that's final!" When Sirius moves to walk around her, Rosalie only steps back in his way.

"No, you are most certainly not!"

"Well do you have a _better_ idea, little miss perfect?"

"The only person allowed to drive with Teddy in their care, is me!"

"Good." Replies Sirius with a triumphant smile as he tosses the car keys to Rosalie.

"What?"

"You can drive. We might as well have a picnic today since it'll look weird if we eat and you don't. We'll buy some food and go eat at a park or something, Teddy will like that."

When Sirius shoves Rosalie away from the door and hauls a laughing Teddy into his arms, she is too confused to say or do anything.

Alone with his mother, Hadrian asks with quizzical eyes,

"What am I meant to do?"

As Rosalie makes to leave, she throws over her shoulder,

"I don't know… Maybe go see Seth?"

* * *

Seth Clearwater. He mulls the name over in his head and thinks about the young teen that he'd spent the afternoon with the day before. He was cute, in a boy-next-door kind of way; charming smile, infectious personality, quite a catch… though not the kind of person Hadrian would get involved with so soon after the war had ended. There's something about the boy though, something that calls to Hadrian in the most intoxicating kind of way.

* * *

"Now Teddy, I need you to be a good boy, okay?"

When Sirius shakes his finger at the young boy in the car seat behind him, the young metamorphmagus merely laughs.

"I'm not kidding Teddy, we'll be around muggles today, so you have to be a good boy and listen to me, okay?"

"… Mmmm kay!"

"Okay, now just like you practiced with grandma, can you make yourself look like me? Can you?"

The young boy lets out a long laugh and squeezes his eyes shut. His hair flashes various others colours; blue, red, green, yellow… until finally settling for a dark ebony.

"Good boy, Teddy! Aren't you just an amazing little Merlin!"

Teddy claps at the elder Black's words.

"More! More!"

"Okay… Do you know what colour Rosie's eyes are?"

"Wozzee! Wozzee!"

"Yeah, Rosie. Can you make your eyes the same colour as that, Teddy?"

Once again the youngster scrunches his eyes closed and just seconds later, when he opens them, they are a shockingly golden amber colour. With his black hair and golden eyes, sculptured features and dominant Black nose; Teddy looks like a miniature Hadrian, like a by-product of Sirius and Rosalie.

As the car pulls to stop, Sirius flicks his wand into hand and in quick succession has placed a stasis charm over Teddy's features.

"How long will that hold for?" Rosalie asks as she takes the young child out of the car carefully.

"9 hours, I think. Plenty of time for him to run around."

"He's getting really good at handling his abilities."

She slams the door shut and locks the car as Sirius hefts the bags of food and toys into his hands. On the way to the park they'd stopped by a family restaurant and a Toys'R'Us to purchase the essentials for their day out.

"Well, with a teacher like Andy, it's kind of hard not to be good at it."

When Sirius turns back to look at her Rosalie arches a single eyebrow in question, over the back of Teddy's head.

"Honest. By the time Dora was five, she'd pretty much mastered being a metamorphmagus."

"Isn't it hard though? For Andy to teach about an ability that she doesn't actually have?"

"Not really. It's all about having control over your body, and who better than a Black to teach you how to control?"

He says this with a laugh but even after all these years, Rosalie can still see the slightest flash of darkness creep through Sirius' eyes. He'd never talked much about his childhood, preferring instead to regale herself and Hadrian with the years that he'd spent living at the Potter household, but she'd always had the suspicion that the family had been a lot more than just neglectful in their ways towards their eldest son.

"Oi, Rosie! Over here! This is the perfect spot!"

Sirius' excited shout breaks her out of her reverie.

"Down! Down!" Are Teddy's protests are he wriggles haphazardly in her arms.

"Okay, okay, down you go then, mister." Rosalie laughs.

Before his feet have even hit the grass, Teddy is off running into the arms of Sirius.

* * *

"We're out of food."

Hadrian isn't even seated next to his former professor before the words are out the werewolf's mouth.

"What the- How is that even possible?"

Hadrian's incredulous face is met with the resigned features of Remus.

"Between me, a full-fledged werewolf, and Sirius, who can pretty much eat his weight in anything, would you really expect any less?"

Hadrian's mouth opens quickly as if to rebut this, but as his brain ticks into motion he closes it with a loud click. Really, this wasn't a surprise. If anything, he would have probably been more shocked if the food had lasted for longer than the few days that it had.

When Hadrian stands, he turns to Remus briefly.

"Anything in particular you want?"

There is a pause as Remus contemplates the question.

"Chocolate…" he finally says, "Lots of chocolate."

Hadrian smirks at the response and as he leaves, throws over his shoulder,

"Remus, if you were in charge of the world, all of its problems would be solved with chocolate."

Remus' barking laughing echoing in his ears is the last thing Hadrian hears as he flits swiftly to Rosalie's room to rummage through her drawers for her car keys. Finding them, he makes his way at lightning speed to the garage and seconds after his conversation with Remus he is peeling out of the driveway like a bat out of Hell.

Within a few moments Hadrian has settled into driving his mother's car like a pro. Seconds later and he feels the angry vibrating pulse of his cell phone as it buzzes inside his pocket. With the ease of someone practiced, he removes the offending piece of technology and selects the new text.

**Seth Clearwater**

_What are you up to?_

"Speak of the devil." Hadrian mutters to himself before cursing loudly.

"Damn! I was meant to ask Remus about Seth." He sighs at his own idiocy.

Without even taking his eyes off of the road, he taps out a reply.

_Grocery shopping in Forks. You?_

The reply comes just a few seconds after his reply is sent.

_Pack stuff to sort out. Have fun._

Hadrian doesn't bother replying and instead shifts gears and races towards Forks.

* * *

Jacob Black was an idiot. Sure he was a great leader, a fairly decent Alpha, a good friend, the kind of son and brother that would make any family proud; but when it came to relationships, Jacob Black was like a new-born deer taking its first steps. The debacle with Bella Swan was probably the greatest example anyone could look to. This, of course, is the reason that Seth Clearwater finds himself running full-speed from his own house to Jake's, with Leah hot on his heels. It wasn't that far away, so they hadn't bothered to phase and instead had settled for running on foot. They'd agreed to hang out with Jake today, but Seth had better plans. The text from Hadrian just a few minutes earlier happened to a part of those plans.

When he smashes his way through the front door of Jacob's house, much to the horror of Rachel, it is to the sight of Jacob, Quil and Embry already sprawled over one of the couches idly watching TV.

"Hey." He calls as he passes by Rachel's disapproving glare and settles himself on the second couch.

"'sup."

"Hey."

"Hmm…"

Jacob's face seems almost to be etched out of stone to Seth. With his chin in one hand and eyes unfocused as they gaze blindly at the TV, Seth can't help but feel sorry for the boy.

"What's with him?" He asks to Quil and Embry, already knowing the answer.

"What else would it be?" Quil replies nonchalantly.

On the other side of Jacob, Embry rolls his eyes.

"It's all it ever is these days. Seriously, I wish the guy would just grow some balls and go and talk to the guy."

"I can't…" Jacob's melancholic whisper is heard by all.

"I've met him twice already and I'm sure he thinks I'm an idiot." His face darkens at his words and once again, Jacob goes silent.

"Hey! One of you idiots, help me with the plates. Breakfast is ready."

Rachel's voice cuts through the tense atmosphere like a chainsaw through rock.

"Why doesn't Paul-"

Before Quil can even finish his sentence Rachel has crossed over to the lounge and slapped the boy upside his head.

"Ow!"

"I asked one of _you_ idiots to help me. Not Paul who, as you can obviously see, isn't here. Don't try to be smart, mister I haven't even graduated from high-school."

Grumbling Quil stands to grab the stack of large plates from the cupboard. Likewise, Jacob and Embry start towards the kitchen to help. It is as Quil and Jacob are passing by Seth's side of the couch that an idea forms.

Just as Jacob is about to step past Seth, the young werewolf sticks out a leg only to have it connect against Jacob's ankle. Like a domino effect in slow motion, Jacob falls hard against Quil who, with the plates in his hands, tumbles to the ground in a heap of cursing and pieces of glass.

"What the HELL?"

"Jacob, you idiot!"

"What the- No way! It was an accident!"

"I don't care if it was accident or not! Those were the last plates we had and no one's eating until we have new ones to fucking EAT WITH!"

"Aww! Rache! We can just eat with-"

"I am NOT letting you pathetic excuses for people act like animals! Either someone can go buy new plates or you can fucking STARVE!"

"Rachel-"

"Yeah, Rachel that's kinda-"

"I don't care!"

As one, Quil and Embry turn to Jacob with hellfire in their eyes.

* * *

"Stupid Rachel making me buy new stupid plates. Stupid Seth making me drive all the way to stupid Forks to get them. Cheaper my ass, bet they'd be the exact same price at the Rez supermarket, stupid-"

Jacob's cursive mumbling is the only sound in the car as the Alpha parks haphazardly in front of the Forks General Supermarket. Slamming his car door in irritation, he makes his way into the store; hands in pocket, back slouched, looking quite sullen.

Finding the plates is easy enough. Checking out, exactly the same. Paying for it? That didn't go down so well.

"Umm… I swear I had my wallet on me a minute ago."

Face flushed a bright red, Jacob searches frantically on his body for his wallet. Quite obviously, the checkout assistant stares at him blandly as if he's heard it all before.

Of course that wasn't enough humiliation for him. No, the gods just had to throw him a curveball and then watch him strike out.

At first he didn't notice the smell. It just seemed as if life had always smelled this divine. The whole world seemed to slow down, as if gravity had re-oriented itself and all of sudden he didn't care that he couldn't find his wallet anymore, none of that seemed to matter… for a split second anyway. And then reality came crashing down and it is in shock and embarrassment that Jacob Black watches Hadrian Hale stroll nonchalantly to the counter that he is stationed at and proceed to pay for the plates.

* * *

"Cash out?"

Hadrian shakes his head at the question wanting this to be over as soon as possible.

"That all, sir?"

He gives a curt nod. Behind him, he is all too aware of the silence that the young Black Alpha has fallen into.

He'd been just about to leave when Black had pulled into the parking lot. As a second thought though, he'd gone back into the store to buy a small pack of Lindt chocolate that he knew Sirius had a soft spot for. Just as he was about to exit the store however, he'd happened to overhear snippets of the conversation coming from a nearby counter. He'd nearly made it out the door before his breeding had forced him to play the gentleman and backtrack inside to help the poor boy out. Really, sometimes the rules that his mother had drilled into him from a young age were nothing more than troublesome.

As the cashier hands him the bag of plates, Hadrian takes them in hand and turning, cocks his head to the side, beckoning Black to follow.

* * *

_Dear Lord, I promise that if you just kill me now and let me die before this can get any more humiliating, I will forever be indebted to you… Please?_

Various thoughts run rampant through Jacob's head as he follows Hadrian out of the store, but none more predominant than this.

Moments later and it is with a start that Jacob realizes that they've walked to his car.

_He's beautiful_, Jacob notes to himself, staring unabashedly at the youth before him_, Good Lord he's beautiful and here I am looking like I just woke up and oh god, oh god, he's speaking, LISTEN you idiot, he's SPEAKING!_

"Here you go."

On instinct Jacob reaches out to take the plastic bag from him. Red-faced he can't help himself but blurt out,

"I'll pay you back for these. I mean, really, I did actually forget my wallet, I-"

Hadrian waves off the words and interrupts.

"It was nothing, really. And you don't have to worry about paying me back."

It is as Hadrian turns to walk away that Jacob feels fear creeping under his skin.

_You wanted another chance, this it, fucking TAKE IT you fucking MORON!_

With the inner dialogue running through his head, it is with little thought that Jacob stops the retreating figure.

"We're - Uh - We're having breakfast at…" Too late Jacob realizes just what he's about to say, but half through the sentence he can't quite seem to get the message to his mouth to shut the hell up.

"My house… If you - Umm - Want to join?" He cringes at the words as they leave him.

Really? Of all the things he could have said and he asks him over for breakfast? What the hell was wrong with him?

When Hadrian turns back to him, a half-smile tugs at the corner of his lip. In Jacob's eyes he has never seen anything more beautiful.

"Thanks for the invitation, but I've got meat in the car that I really should get home…"

Well if Hadrian was going to ignore his idiocy, then Jacob could too.

"… That and I don't generally eat breakfast. At least… Your kind of breakfast, anyway."

He ends the sentence with a large smile and conspiratory wink that blows Jacob's mind away and has him thinking; well fuck, there is something more beautiful than that half-smile.

It's enough to make Jacob forget that just a minute ago he'd invited a vampire to breakfast.

* * *

In all honesty he can't say why he pauses before taking his leave. He doesn't quite understand it himself but still he finds himself turning back to Black and saying,

"I was thinking of going cliff diving later on today. It's on the border of the treaty line."

"Yeah, you won't have any trouble from us."

The boy seems dazed for some reason.

Cute, is the small thought that flits through Hadrian's mind before it is discarded.

Cute and dumb, is the sarcastic response within his mind that sounds suspiciously like his mother.

"Care to join?"

The way Hadrian says it is pure Rosalie. Head cocked ever so slightly to the side, mouth tugging at the corner in an inviting half-smile, one eyebrow raised in question.

There is no way in Hell that Jacob Black would refuse. And he doesn't. At his nod, Hadrian winks in reply.

"Sounds like a plan then. See you around 4 o'clock."

He walks away then, leaving Jacob a giddy pile of nerves at what he can only assume is practically a first date.

A few metres away and a thought strikes Hadrian. He calls out to Jacob just before the boy is about to climb into his car.

"Bring Seth with you when you come, yeah?"

* * *

Jacob watches as Hadrian peals out of the parking lot, kicks his car into gear and races away from his line of sight. He sits stiff, fists clenched around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white at the pressure he is exerting.

"Just breathe." He whispers to himself, trying actively to calm the raging emotions that wash through him.

Seth had a lot of explaining to do when he got back, but he couldn't talk to the cub in this kind of jealous state; when the Alpha in him was fucking pissed that his imprint would ask to see that pathetic excuse of a-

"Breath, Jake." He breathes deeply, holds the breath for ten counts then exhales slowly; pauses briefly, then repeats.

There had to be a reasonable explanation as to why Hadrian would have asked for Seth's presence. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he acted out of anger. When he questioned Seth, it would be in a calm and respectable manner.

* * *

As Hadrian is putting away the last of the meat into the freezer, he is still reflecting on his odd exchange with Black. Seth had told him about cliff diving the day before, exclaiming that it was the best thing in the world, ever. Hadrian had had his doubts, but he'd promised to at least try it before he outright told the younger boy that it was idiotic. What Hadrian can't quite get over however, is what on Earth possessed him to ask Black if he wanted to join. Thinking over it carefully, Hadrian can only assume that what with his Mother, Father and cousin out at the park, and Remus running off only God knew where, he'd felt lonely and had reached out to the boy in the parking lot. At this thought Hadrian sneers in disgust at himself; how pathetic, living to survive a war only to turn soft at the first instance of civilian life. It is almost enough to make the young vampire want to throw up. Before he can think any more about it however, the crunching of unfamiliar tires driving up towards the house has him peering out of the front window suspiciously.

When the car pulls up, Hadrian's only response is to raise an arched eyebrow in surprise.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Carlisle?"

With one hand, the patriarch of the Cullen family reaches to his wife in the passenger seat of the car and rubs a soothing thumb over her clenched fist.

"She's our daughter, Esme. It doesn't matter how long she's been away from us, we are still her parents, and that means we still care for her and want to know how she is and where she's been."

Turning away from him, Esme stares out of the passenger window and nods to herself, as if trying to convince herself that these words are true. Behind them, sandwiched between Jasper and Emmett, Alice can only think that this is the worst idea her family has ever had.

* * *

He's on the front stairs before the car has even stopped. Hadrian's questioning face greeting Sirius as he parks the brand new car and exits, slamming the door and then doing a small jig on the spot.

"Like it?" He asks Hadrian, a cocky smile overcoming him.

"As beautiful as she is, I'd like to know where my car is."

"Your Mom's got it. Teddy wanted to drag her through some malls in Port Angeles."

"And you?"

"I saw this beauty and couldn't leave without it. Rosie told me to buy it and take it home cause she couldn't handle looking after two children at the same time."

Sirius finishes with a small pout and Hadrian laughs at his words.

"Nice. I just re-stocked the kitchen. What did Mother say she was going to make for dinner?"

Just as they are about to enter the house, the sounds of another car approaching stop them.

"That can't be Rosie, she's way too early." Sirius states in surprise.

Hadrian, in confusion, cocks his head to the side, "It's not my car. It's someone else."

When the car makes its way into visible distance for Hadrian to see, his face hardens and his eyes narrow. As the car draws nearer and Sirius can finally make out that the features of the passengers in the car, a vicious guttural growl erupts from Hadrian's Father.

"Hadrian…" The Black Lord barks out.

"About that," Hadrian starts off sheepishly, "I may have neglected to tell you that the Cullen's are in town."

"Does Rosie know?"

"She's aware of it, but she hasn't seen them yet."

"And them?"

"Jasper and Emmett stopped by a few days ago. That's about it."

The approaching car parks metres away from the house and it is with bated breath that the Cullen's exit.

Pitching his voice low so that not even the oncoming vampire's can hear (a trick he'd picked up from Bill), Hadrian whispers to Sirius,

"Play nice."

* * *

"He's beautiful," Esme whispers just before they exit the car.

"So much like Rosalie and yet… So different."

Alice and Carlisle can only nod in agreement.

He's breathtaking really. With his fair complexion and raven hair, angular features and dazzling eyes; he looks like the perfect combination of Rosalie and…

"Is that his father?"

Before anyone can answer Esme's question they've all exited the car and made their way towards the pair.

* * *

They stop just a few feet away from them. The older female looking like she wants to come closer, but her blonde partner seems to be holding her back. The short female between Jasper and Emmett looks as though she doesn't even want to be here, and Hadrian can't really blame her.

He nods in greeting to the two boys that he has already met.

"You're eyes are green." Jasper states awkwardly in the silence that descends over the small party.

Not even a greeting? Hadrian can only assume that he grew up in some savage land where courtesy was none-existent.

Hadrian nods nonchalantly, "A parlour trick that I've become adept at."

"Can you change anything else besides your eyes?"

Hadrian shakes his head.

"No, just my eyes and only to this colour; which is of course, why it is a parlour trick. A novelty, if anything."

His back is ram-rod straight, his poise impeccable; a true testament to Rosalie's upbringing of Hadrian.

"How rude of me!" Hadrian exclaims blandly, as if he doesn't quite care that it was rude.

"Allow me to introduce my father, Lord Sirius Black. Father this is Jasper Whitlock, his brother Emmett and…"

Hadrian trails off and looks at Jasper in question,

"My parents, Esme and Carlisle; and my partner, Alice."

Alice nods quietly in return, Carlisle following suit. It is Esme that steps forward and takes both of Hadrian's hands into hers.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She gushes, smiling brilliantly.

Extracting himself carefully, Hadrian says stiffly, "The pleasure is mine."

Sirius hasn't paid much attention to any of this. Since the moment they exited the car his eyes have been trained on one man.

Finally he is able to see with his own eyes, the man that had broken Rosalie Hale; the strongest woman that Sirius had ever met.

"Can we help you with anything?"

The question is asked with a smile, but the undertone is anything but hospitable. Esme, either disregarding the undertone, or not noticing it at all, speaks for them all.

"We were wondering if we could have a word with Rosalie."

"Rosie's not in at the moment." It is Sirius that speaks as he tears his stony gaze away from Emmett. Just in time though, he notices Emmett flinch slightly at his words.

"Oh? Will she be back soon?"

"My beloved…" Sirius can't help but smile at the way the words seem to tangibly slap Emmett in the face, "… is out shopping and tends to shop for hours on end. She won't be home for a very, very, long time."

Hadrian is not fazed; Sirius has called Rosalie this before, and it was something that many had misconstrued.

Sirius' eyes lock with Emmett's briefly and in that moment Sirius can't help but throw a vicious smirk at the taller, broader, stronger vampire. Stealing his gaze away from Sirius, Emmett looks towards Hadrian,

"We'll wait then."

Alice tugs on Jaspers sleeve, "I think we should go." She whispers to him quietly.

"I'd rather you didn't." Hadrian replies to Emmett, eyes fairly blank with a distinct lack in emotion.

"And we insist that we'll wait." Is Emmett's forced reply to Hadrian and Sirius' steely gazes.

* * *

As Jacob places the new plates on the table, Rachel moves to collect them and give them a quick scrub before dishing out their rather late breakfast.

"Something rather interesting happened at the supermarket."

"Really?" Asks Quil.

"What?" is Embry's question as they all look to Jacob.

"I ran into Hadrian."

The relieved smiles that break out over everyone's faces are bright enough to blind the sun.

"And? And? AND?" Leah demands, standing as she repeatedly asks the same thing over and over again.

"He asked me if I wanted to go cliff-diving later on today with him."

Quil and Embry whoop loudly in the background and hi-five each other is rampant exuberance.

"I said yes, of course."

"That's really great, Jake!" Seth beams up at him from the couch.

Jacob, staring back, looks down at the younger boy as though he is a foreign specimen; blank eyes and stony face.

"That's not the interesting thing though."

"Oh really? Then what is?" Rachel joins in as she marches past the boys (and Leah) and places the brand new plates on the table.

"The interesting thing is that, he not only asked me to go cliff-diving… He asked me to bring Seth as well."

The tense silence that settles over them so abruptly is suffocating and it is in this split second that Jacob realizes that he won't be able to hold his temper and instead throws all caution to the wind.

"Jake, I-"

Fuck calm and reasonable.

Before Seth can even finish his sentence, Jake reacts.

A brutish snarl rips itself from his throat and in an instant he has bounded over the chair, grabbed the young boy by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against the closest wall. The reverberating _thud_ makes the boys cringe and jump to their feet.

"JAKE!"

"Jake, _please_!"

"Jacob! Put him-"

"Oh God, please don't-"

Jacob's large hand clamps itself around Seth's neck and for a brief moment the young boy wonders if he is going to die.

"JACOB! DON'T!" Screams Leah as she lunges towards her brother.

"STAND DOWN!"

She freezes; breathes loudly and unevenly as she clenches her fists tightly and closes her eyes. Her alpha has given her a direct order. What else is she meant to do but obey?

He pushes the boy further up against the wall and leans in close, lip curling in an all consuming rage, eyes darker than black in his contempt,

"Why don't you explain to me, _pup_," Jacob spits the word out like an angry curse and Seth recoils at it, "why _MY_ imprint would want _anything_ to do with _you_?"

* * *

Next Chapter

**Fluctuating**

_Emotions go haywire in Forks_.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So as an apology I've decided to set up a sort of competition for all of my readers (and also as something fun). So here it goes: For the next 2 weeks (May 15th - May 22nd) the competition will be open. The winner will win either,

a) Any phrase/ sentence of their choice input into Chapter 6 of The End Story (also, their choice of character to say it), OR

b) A one-shot in their honor with their choice of word prompts and pairings, OR

c) An extra chapter written for ANY of my other stories.

Here's how it works.

1. Either follow me on Twitter or Tumblr (links available on my profile).

2. If you add me on Twitter, tweet at me with the hashtag 'The End Story' (#TheEndStory) and tell me what you'd like (A, B or C) and your idea for the phrase/word you'd like input and by who OR the idea for the one-shot you'd like OR the story you'd like me to write an extra chapter for.

3. If you follow me on Tumblr, hit the top right-hand button and SUBMIT what'd you'd like (A, B or C) and your idea for the phrase/word you'd like input and by who OR the idea for the one-shot you'd like OR the story you'd like me to write an extra chapter for.

How do you win?

The person who Tweets or Submits the most on Tumblr or Twitter will win (the same idea does not always have to be used). After that, the winner will be allowed to choose any ONE of their ideas that they have Tweeted or Submitted and then it will be written.

For those of you lacking a Twitter/Tumblr Account, send me a PM through my profile with your idea. This portion will be judged as an independant competition and the most ORIGINAL (i.e. concept I've never heard/seen/thought of before, or just something so hilarious that I have to write it) idea will win.

**DON'T FORGET** **TO REVIEW!  
**Seriously (or is it SIRIUSLY), reviews are like coke to me. They make me happy and thus make me more productive.

That is all :) Thanks!

- Des.


	6. Chapter 6

I know, long overdue. Chapter 7 is complete and will be uploaded in 10 or so days. This chapter is dedicated to **little-bast** and all my faithful readers who have stuck with me.

* * *

**Fluctuating**

The problem with war was that it messed with you. It leaked into your head and ransacked through your mind like a common burglar, until finally; at the end of it, you just weren't the same as you were before. You're a little more damaged, a little more daring, a little more addicted to the thrill of adrenaline drumming through your veins reminding you that _yes_, you are still alive despite it all. The problem with Azkaban, was that it did the exact same thing.  
The problem with Sirius Black, was that he'd survived two wars and a prolonged tour of Azkaban.

When Sirius turns his empty eyes on Emmett, Esme has to wonder what exactly Rosalie saw in this man.  
"My son has already informed you that Rosalie will not be home for quite some time."  
Emmett's mouth is open before Sirius has even finished his sentence, but Jaspers abrupt elbow to his ribcage stops the man before he can make things worse.  
"You see," Jasper replies before Emmett can gather his wits again, "we haven't seen Rosalie in a long time-"  
"-around about a hundred years, right?"  
Jasper ignores the sarcasm from Hadrian and endeavours on,  
"- and we'd like to see her, see how she is."  
Sirius and Hadrian can both hear the '_what she's been doing since she left_' that Jasper leaves unspoken.  
Sirius just wants these people off of the property, away from this haven that his family calls home. He wants them gone before Rosalie and Teddy return because the last thing Rosalie needs is a face-to-face confrontation with the past that she'd tried hard to leave behind her.  
He can see it in the way Hadrian handles himself that his son wants these people gone just as badly.  
It is the sound of crunching tyres approaching that breaks the awkward silence that descends between the two groups and Hadrian would have paled if he had been human. He knows the distinct sound of that engine; the car that his mother had gifted to him when they'd arrived in Forks, the car that Rosalie had borrowed for the day.  
Hadrian has to actively suppress a groan at the timing. Of all the days that Rosalie _didn't_ want to shop for hours... Shit was just about to get real.

* * *

When Teddy had been born, it was actively decided that the young boy would take the last name of his grandmothers family. As a Black, his parents had agreed that his future would be more secure if he had the safety of the Black name and fortune to fall back on if the world were to ever rear its ugly head and persecute him (more than they did now) for his wolf-like nature. He was an abnormality even in wizarding circles and as the past had proved, people were inherently afraid of what they did not understand.  
Sirius had been as much a part of the decision as Teddy's parents had. He was older now, past the age where children would matter to him, but as a Lord he couldn't leave his line without an heir. He'd been more than willing to sign off and give everything to Hadrian, but his vampire status would mean that the entire fortune could possibly be contested by the Ministry of Magic (despite his renown as the defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort). Hadrian already had enough to inherit from the Hale fortune anyway, so Sirius had asked Tonks if perhaps he could leave everything to Teddy instead; and she'd agreed, because if there was anything that was going to help her son live as normal a life as possible, it was going to be wealth and influence, and the Black family name had that in abundance.  
Percy, who was neither Teddy's biological father nor the man to give the boy his surname, had taken some talking to, but Tonks had managed to convince him in the end that it was for the best. He was quick to realize that whether or not Teddy carried the Weasley name or the trademark ginger hair, the boy would always be a Weasley. And if Tonks' argument didn't convince him of that, then Molly's lecture certainly had.

* * *

Most of the time, Teddy channelled an interesting mix of Percy and Tonks: a little bundle of calm and quiet chaos all rolled into a tiny aquamarine haired tot. There were times however, when trouble reared it's ugly head, that they were slapped in the face with how much of a Weasley Teddy could actually be.  
"Your son is a- is a- an _abomination_!" The dripping wet woman screamed as she attempted to wring some kind of neon green gunk out of her hair and away from where it was sliding into her eyes.  
Rosalie pursed her lips in agitation and pushed the small child behind her where he grabbed the bottom material of her skirt with clenched fists and buried his face in his hands.  
"Don't you _dare_ talk about him that way! You, lady, are another kind of-"  
From there they descended into screeching words and hurled insults until finally, the woman had to be dragged out of the store by two hulking security guards who were just as unimpressed with her behaviour. After that Rosalie was quick to purchase their goods and leave.  
The ride back home was quiet and Teddy, in his booster seat, was sullen.  
"'m sowy."  
It's said with a forcefulness that is a testament to how well Andromeda has raised the boy.  
He knows what he's done is wrong and he apologizes, despite the fact that he doesn't feel like he needs to.  
Rosalie sighs as she spares a glance at him. She can't stay mad at him, with his pouting lower lip and his darkening eyes. He's much too cute for her to ever be mad at.  
"It's okay sweetheart, but really! I know you didn't mean it and accidental magic is quite common but just because that lady was rude to you, that does not mean you can wish bad things to happen to her."  
She says it while the corner of her mouth twitches. All she really wants to do is laugh, because if anything, the woman had had it coming. Pushing Teddy over as she waddled over to the toy section just to secure some kind of doll for her obscenely overweight and crying daughter. Teddy hadn't appreciated that, and neither had his magic. The next they knew the woman was swimming in some kind of gunk that had fallen on her like some great tidal wave that had appeared out of nowhere. Teddy, who was the first to laugh in the store, had taken the brunt of the woman's embarrassment and anger. Really, it was lucky the security guards had showed up when they had because Rosalie had been one second away from tearing that woman's throat out, secrecy be damned. Calling Teddy such horrible names, she was lucky she'd left that store with her life.  
"... home?"  
Rosalie nods at the boy before she throws him a sweet smile.  
"Yep. Definitely enough adventures for you today."  
At her words Teddy's mouth gapes open in a yawn, but the tot tries to fight it and covers his mouth with a fist to hide it from Rosalie. When he finishes he opens his mouth as if he's about to argue, but Rosalie laughs before she interrupts,  
"We'll have some hot chocolate when we get home. Maybe after that you can tell Sirius and Hadrian all about that nasty woman and how you pranked her. Sirius will like that."  
Teddy laughs and nods at the words though Rosalie isn't too sure if he'd really understood all of what she'd said.

* * *

This is what dying feels like.  
Seth can't quite concentrate on much. It's hard because his vision is failing him and so are his lungs. He doesn't regret much, now that life seems to seep from his body at an agonizingly slow pace. He had sided with Jake when it mattered, stood up for his friends, stayed true to who he was. He's just sad that he won't get to cliff-dive with Hadrian, won't get to see Jake finally get the gir- err, guy. Seth regrets that he never got to tell his mother that he loved her one more time... Or Leah. Yeah, if he had a few more moments he would have liked to say 'I love you' to the two most important women in his life.  
His vision alternates between startling clarity and hazy blurriness. It oscillates between the two so sporadically that tears form at the corner of Seth's eyes because of it. He can't hear anything over the roaring in his ears, the sound of the blood in his system pumping slower and slower and slower; if he did he would hear the screaming, the begging, the pleading, the sound of his own mouth keening as his Alpha tightens his already vice-like grip.  
His breathing is laboured, fighting harder and harder to gasp for more of that ever elusive air. In just a few seconds however, even this fight becomes too much for the youngster and his body stops breathing altogether. It is calming, when he stops fighting and accepts that this is how he is going to die. Almost like the world all of a sudden makes sense.  
But it doesn't.  
Because Seth is dying.  
At the hands of his best friend, his Alpha.  
And that doesn't make sense.  
At all.

* * *

Rosalie caving in to Hadrian's demands to complete the Blood Adoption had been the single most irresponsible act that the blonde-haired statuesque beauty had ever allowed to date. When she'd calmed down from the hype of it weeks later, she'd felt like slitting her own throat for how idiotic she'd been to risk the life of her child just for the sake of blood. Hadrian though, knew exactly how to play her even at a young age and his tears and pleading had thrown most of her common sense out the window. She was new at being a mother and though she'd taken to it like a duck to water and though it felt like the most natural thing in the world, even she couldn't bring herself to say 'no' to big beautiful watering green eyes.  
It was 3 years later when Rosalie realized how lucky she'd gotten off with the Blood Adoption. Hadrian was aging, growing; his body was getting taller each year, wider. It was only through the help of a close family friend that she'd really understood how it was possible. Hadrian's inherent magic had combined with his vampire nature and was essentially simulating artificial growth in the young boy. It wasn't the same as human growth because vampires did not age, and Hadrian was indeed a full-fledged vampire; but it was for all intents and purposes the vampire/magic equivalent.

* * *

It wasn't until Hadrian was 15 when he'd realized that there was something not quite right with his appearance. All through his first four years at Hogwarts he'd had to deal with people telling him how much he looked like his father but with his mother's eyes. Green eyes. It shouldn't have been possible. He was aware what a Blood Adoption entailed. It deleted the genetic structure of one or more parents and re-wrote them with the new genes of the blood from the adopted parent(s). Rosalie had essentially deleted Lily Potter's DNA within his body and had it replaced with her own. It was impossible that his eyes could still be green. Rosalie's eyes were gold and when she'd been human her eyes had been blue. James Potter's eyes had been brown. It didn't add up.

A loud _thud_ echoed in the empty Gryffindor common room as Hermione set down a heavy load of books on the table. She paused momentarily only to deposit her bag on the ground before settling herself across from Hadrian and Ron. The House of Lions were asleep and it was not uncommon for the trio to be found awake even at the early hours of the morning. Hermione and Ron had bizarre sleeping habits thanks to their perpetually awake friend.  
"I don't think you inherited your eye colour from Lily Potter."  
"Pardon?" Hadrian jolted at the words.  
"I did some research-"  
"-not surprising-" grins Ron sheepishly as the two boys draw their chairs nearer to the table.  
Their heads bend together and Hermione flips open a book and spins it to face the boys.  
"-_anyway_, I did some research. This is the Potter family history book. Dominantly the family had brown eyes, but every now again blue would pop up, it's the recessive gene in the family."  
Hermione dives into her bag and pulls out a piece of parchment with her trademark scrawl all over it.  
"This is an estimation of the Evans family. Lily's green eyes were a recessive trait because apparently neither her parents nor her sister inherited it. I considered that maybe she'd been adopted but that turned out to be false, she was a hundred per cent an Evans child. Anyway, in her family brown eyes were dominant and green eyes were recessive. So I wondered how it was that you could have possibly gotten green eyes and then I came across this."  
Hermione pulls a second book from the stack and turns it to show the boys. They are enthralled at her words, silent as they wait for the whole explanation.  
"This is a photo of Lily Potter on the day she graduated."  
"We already know what she looks like, Hermione." Ron says confused.  
"You don't see it, do you?" Hermione implores, her eyes boring into Hadrian's.  
""See what?" Hadrian is just as confused as Ron as they stare at the full-page photo.  
She's beautiful really, gleaming red hair cascading over one shoulder, moss green eyes peering out from a face that some would say was carved by the gods. Hadrian can't see that though, because his mother, Rosalie, would always be the most beautiful woman in the world; and though Lily Evans is pretty, she is nothing compared to the awe-inspiring beauty that is his mother.  
Hermione points to Lily Evans' eyes,  
"Her eyes, they aren't actually the same colour as yours."  
And true to her words, they aren't. Lily's eyes are darker, more of a wet moss green compared to his own sparkling deep emerald eyes.  
"So?"  
Again, another book is drawn from Hermione's pile. She takes a while to find the page she needs,  
"This book has a colour swatch of every spell known to wizard-kind."  
Here she stops and hands the book to the boys. It's easy to spot which spell she's talking about. On the pages they're looking at it is the only vibrant green coloured spell amidst a sea of dangerous reds and frightening blacks.  
"Maybe it's a coincidence?"  
"I highly doubt that, your eyes are the _exact _same colour as The Killing Curse."

* * *

As Rosalie draws nearer to the house, a feeling of doom settles into the pit of her stomach but she brushes it aside. She's used to this feeling, the kind of feeling that usually accompanied Sirius doing something horrendously life-endangering. She just hopes the house is still left standing and he doesn't hurt himself too badly.  
Rosalie is aware that the dynamics of the relationship between herself and Sirius were incredibly... Unorthodox. She can't help it though. Sirius in his own ruthless, relentless way has always made her feel alive. It was different from the way she felt when she was with Hadrian; being with Sirius was like truly feeling danger for the first time. It was exhilarating and mind-blowing all at once. It was why she'd always had such a love-hate relationship with the man. She detested the feelings he brought out in her with as much intensity as she craved it.

When she breaks through the cover of the trees and spots out the extra figures in front of the car, she has to physically stop herself from the stalling the car. She had known that eventually this confrontation would have to happen, Hadrian had warned her that they had sought her out before; but she's not ready, not here, not now.  
She can see the dark heads of her boys though, standing arrogantly in face of the family that she'd left behind her so long ago  
The windows are up so she can't hear what they are saying.  
"Teddy, sweetheart."  
"Mmmm?" Is the boy's response as he stubbornly fights off sleep.  
"You know the rules for when we're out, right?"  
"Mmmhmm! Haiw... 'n... Eyes." He says the worlds slowly, yawning between each word.  
"Good boy, sweetheart."  
She takes an unneeded deep breath in and forces herself not to turn her head when she passes the Cullens and then Hadrian and Sirius. She slows down as she parks in front of the family manor, right next Sirius' new acquisition.  
"You can do this." She whispers to herself.

* * *

The problem bothering Carlisle isn't Hadrian,the is the oxymoron that is Sirius Black. The man has deranged eyes, but his aristocratic features and impeccable posture speak of his coming from a well-off family. His hands though, are calloused for such a man of fine-standing.  
Carlisle can clearly hear the beating of the man's heart, but its beats are not human. The thumping of it isn't uniform and beats to some invisible rhythm that Carlisle cannot discern.  
None of this though, can compare to the puzzle that is the mans scent.  
The man smells like lightening, like electricity, as if the very particles of him are moving at such speeds that he can smell the heat emanating from him.  
Carlisle can't help but be completely perplexed by the smell and the feeling of doom that looms over him like an ominous cloud.

* * *

When the car passes them, Alice has to stop herself from gasping, or jumping, or running. A hundred years and here was her sister, right back where they'd started. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion when she see's that in the back seat, there is a child sleeping. A quick look at Esme and Alice can see that she is not the only one that has been thrown for a loop.  
She passes them in the car and parks next to the car that is already in front of the house; and then she appears.

The door swings open and Rosalie exits confidently, masking the fear that she can feel gripping her unbeating heart. Her heels are the first thing to hit the ground and as she eases herself out of the driver's seat she looks not unlike a high fashion glamour model.  
The minute she is fully out of the car and has slammed the door behind her, Emmett feels his throat tighten and his body stop pretending to breath. Equally, behind him, Jasper and Alice have stilled unnaturally. Carlisle is just as silent next to Esme and they watch, and wait.  
She is beautiful, golden hair falling lusciously down her back, clothes impeccably fashionable and bright dazzling amber eyes sparkling in the dim-lighting that constantly seeped through the ever present clouds hovering over Forks.  
She doesn't even turn to acknowledge their presence, instead she moves to open the back door. Hadrian is at her side less than a second later,  
"Darling, can you grab Teddy's things from the boot?"  
Emmett can literally feel his whole world falling apart around him.  
How long has he dreamed of her voice in the darkest of nights? How long has it been since he heard the most beautiful sound in the world? He thinks that if he had to die, properly die, he wouldn't mind dying now because a part of him is at peace once again. The rest of him, however, is more agitated than it has ever been in his life.  
In an instant Hadrian has the boot open and is pulling countless bags from within. Once he has all of them in hand he closes the boot and runs inside to deposit the bags in Rosalie's room. It is less than five seconds later that he returns from the house and walks towards his mother who is still unfastening the child from his booster seat. Esme is impressed by Hadrian's speed and wonders idly if Edward or perhaps Hadrian was faster.

When Rosalie smiles up at Hadrian it is such a breath-taking sight that it leaves Emmett dumbfounded. There is not a day that has gone past in the last hundred years that Emmett has not reminisced about this smile. It is a sweet smile, conveying so much love and adoration and emotion that for a second, Emmett's eyes have to look elsewhere because it is the most painful thing in the world for him to see her smiling at someone else. Someone that wasn't him.

Hadrian hasn't even opened his mouth to ask his question before his mother replies,  
"I've got him, darling. It's fine."  
Teddy's eyes flutter open and are hazy when he looks up at Rosalie and the tot blinks blearily.  
"We're home, sweetheart." Rosalie whispers to the boy as she brushes away some flyaway strands that sweep infront of the childs eyes.  
Teddy can barely be bothered attempting to form a coherent sentence and instead he raises his arms and waits for Rosalie to pick him up. She manages a smaller smile before scooping the boy out from his seat and settling him in her right arm. Teddy wraps both hands around her and buries his head into the crook of her neck before closing his eyes again.

This is it, she tells herself.

When she turns and begins walking to the large group congregated in front of her house, she does so at a human pace. She knows that Teddy has always been comfortable with the speed of vampire, loved it in fact; but Rosalie doesn't want to risk waking the tot in case the speedy movements jostled him. As she walks towards them, Hadrian walks at her side.

* * *

They can't see the child very clearly from where he has buried himself under Rosalie's chin, but they are uneasy as the trio draw nearer. His skin colour is identical to Black's, as is the hair colour that stands on unruly ends and seems to defy the very laws of gravity. They notice, with growing apprehension that the childs heart beats, but not in the way that a humans heart did. It's rhythm is unsteady as if dancing to a melody known only to the young child.  
It is his scent that makes the Cullen family pause. He does not smell human; in fact there is not a single hint of humanity, or even mortality in the scent. He smells like... Lightning. Like electricity. He smells... Like Black. At this, Carlisle narrows his eyes slightly.

When Rosalie stops next to Sirius, facing her family, it is the first time that they have seen her in over a hundred years. Likewise for her, it is the first time she has laid eyes on them since she left; packed a bag, ran to the only friend she'd felt she had at the time and never looked back.  
They look exactly the same as they did the day she left. Alice is still the same pixie-haired oddball, Jasper still has the same pained look on his face and Esme and Carlisle look just as content as always. When Rosalie's eyes land on Emmett no emotion crosses over her face; she can see that just like the rest of the family, time has not left its mark on the man. He looks just the same, no changes whatsoever.

* * *

Rosalie had died the same way she'd lived, as a sweetfaced 18 year old with hair the colour of the sun and eyes the colour of the sky. Not much had changed after her death, bar her eye colour.  
On the day she'd left, she hadn't changed at all. She still looked like the same sweetfaced 18 year old with sun coloured hair and dazzling amber eyes.  
Here though, in this moment, Esme can see that this is not the same daughter that had up and left them so long ago. She is older, wiser, her eyes a touch more jaded.  
It is not so much her apperance that has changed, her appearance is exactly the same it has been since the day she died and turned. It is in the way she walks, the way she holds herself, the way she stands facing them. There is a maturity to every movement that she makes that transforms her to someone older, someone they do not quite know, someone that is not quite the Rosalie Hale that left them. Though in appearance she looks no older than Hadrian, the way she carries herself, the way she stalks the Earth as though an age has passed and time has actually left its mark on her (as impossible as it may sound); in this moment, they can understand how it is that mortals can say confidently that Rosalie is Hadrian's mother.

When she stops just a few feet away from them, she can see them studying her and is thankful that Teddy is in her arms because she has the distinct urge to fidget. She stomps that urge down though and crushes it beneath the same emotion that she usually reserved for Sirius and those who had a death wish; her all encompassing animosity and hostility for the world at large.

In all this time, Sirius has studied the faces of the Cullen's, Emmett especially; and he has not found anything that he has liked.  
In a purely primal urge to establish his dominance as the Alpha over this land, Sirius moves to stand next to Rosalie, stopping only long enough to make eye contact with Emmett before winding a possessive arm around Rosalie's waist. Hadrian moves to stand next to his parents and it is this picture that they make more than anything else that breaks Emmett's heart and causes Alice and Jasper's eyes to go wide.

Rosalie concentrates on Sirius' arm around her waist. It is this contact that keeps her grounded and Rosalie is thankful (for once) that despite her front, Sirius (as always) has managed to see right through it. It is a completely unconscious move when she shifts into Sirius' embrace and stands in front of him as he rests both hands lightly around her waist and places a chaste kiss on her neck, carefule not to jostle Teddy.

Emmett thinks that if it was possible for vampires to get sick, this is the moment when he would vomit. The sight is sickening and Sirius' challenging glare is enough to make the burly vampire want to claw his goddamned eyes out.

"Hello."

* * *

The day the Clearwater family had lost their father had been the hardest day in Leah's life to date. Sure Sue had picked up the pieces afterwards and managed to move on (with Charlie Swann no less), and yes Leah and Seth had let it make them stronger as siblings and had drawn together and overcome the worst of it together; but Leah can still remember the days leading up to the funeral and the days following it.  
Leah remembers that her mother had cried herself to sleep every night. Silent, heartbreaking tears that had made Leah curse her sensitive hearing and had made her want to curl up in her bed and never leave as her mother begged all the gods of their forefathers not to leave her alone, not to leave her to deal with this world without him. She can remember how quiet the house had become following her father's death, how her mother had seemed to move across the floor as if she were nothing more than a ghost of who she was. Leah can remember the stringy unkept hair, the sallow skin, hollow cheekbones and deep purple bags under eyes as her mother first stopped sleeping and then stopped eating. Leah can remember the fear in Seth's eyes during those days, the absolutely heartwrenching terror that they might lose their mother as well.  
Leah knows that losing her husband had seriously crippled her mother and she knows with the same certainty that if anything were to happen to Seth, her mother would never recover. Leah knows this because if anything happened to Seth she herself would lose her last reason to live. It was Seth, more than anything, that had helped her stay sane after Sam broke her heart and though she'd looked after their mother after the passing of their father, it was Seth that had helped her mourn and kept her strong. Leah knows with absolute certainty that if Seth died, she would not be far behind.

Fear clutches at her heart when Jacob's hand tightens ever so slightly over Seth's throat and it is in desperation that she lunges at him.  
Someone rushes at her left and she steps lightly, feints to the right and sidesteps Quil only to be met with a right-hook to the face. She had not anticipated on Embry being right behind him.  
She crashes to the floor in a tumble of limbs, but flips herself back on to her feet before her body can crash into the wall. She can feel something warm dripping from her mouth and she knows that by tomorrow the bruise will look a hell of a lot worse. She tries to wipe the blood away from her mouth with the back of her hand but only manages to wipe a small amount of it away. More continues to fall from her already blood-stained lips, but she takes no heed.

In the kitchen Rachel fights every fiber of her being not to interfere. Paul has spoken to her in depth about the Rules of the Pack and she knows that this is a pack matter. Jacob's imprint was Jacob's after all, and Jacob had felt threatened enough by Seth that he was lashing out in the only way he knew how, through dominance. When Embry and Quil take Leah down as she tries desperately to get to her brother, Rachel has to stifle a cry and realizes that she can't watch this. This is her family and this hurts. As Leah stands, blood dripping steadily from her mouth, Rachel turns her back on the fighting and stands with her hands gripping the counter viciously. She evens out her breathing and tries to tune everything out as she focuses on her counting.  
Pack business was pack business. She was just going to get in the way.

Leah's ears can pick out Seth's laboured breathing and his heartbeat slowing down, slower... slower... slower...  
It is as terror grips her heart that she lashes out with no care. She needs to get to him, needs to get to Seth, has to be there, has to save him.

* * *

"... Hi." Esme's voice is breathless and her smile wavers when she greets Rosalie.

Jasper, Emmett and Alice are quiet in the ensuing silence and it is Carlisle that is the first to take a step forward towards her.  
"It's good to see you, Rosalie." He hesitates, stops because all he gets in reply is a jerky nod from his estranged daughter.  
Rosalie's eyes are dazed, as though she is not quite with them. Sirius' grip on her waist tightens and it brings her crashing back to reality, her eyes focusing sharply on Carlisle.  
"Oh! How forgetful of me." She exclaims almost as an afterthought, the manners of a pureblood Lady flowing easily into the forefront of her mind.  
"I haven't introduced you all."  
Carlisle opens his mouth to stop her but Sirius beats him to it.  
"We've already met, beloved." Sirius mouth is mere millimetres from Rosalie's ear and while his mouth is there he once again places a small chaste kiss just behind her ear lobe.  
The quiet that settles over them is charged with so much unspoken tension that Hadrian has the distinct urge to see if can cut through it with a chainsaw.  
Surprisingly, or maybe not, it is Jasper that breaks the awkward silence with an even more awkward question.  
"Where were you?"  
His feelings are leaking so distinctly from his body that even Alice's quiet whispers in his ear do not have any effect on him. There is pain there, in abundance, there is sadness and buried underneath it all, they can all feel the loneliness.  
Rosalie is taken aback at how forthright Jasper is and is thrown for a loop as to how to answer. She had figured that eventually the question would come up, she'd been hoping though that it would arise later rather than now.  
She gathers her answer in her mind before she even attempts to respond out loud.  
In her arms, Teddy stirs and when his head of unruly black hair lifts from her chest, a small arm comes to rub furiously at his eyes. Rosalie becomes distracted at the act and stares intensely at the child.  
"Sweetheart?"  
Teddy's eyes meet hers, "' m tiwed."  
As if feeling the countless eyes on the back of his head, the young child turns his head to stare at these intruders that have disturbed his slumber.  
Alice and Jasper gasp out loud and Carlisle has to take a step back. The child is the carbon copy of Hadrian, dazzling amber eyes, ebony black hair and a facial structure that was entirely Rosalie.  
"He's gorgeous." Esme says, clearing her throat.  
Rosalie doesn't even pause when she replies with startling assurance, "Of course he is, all of my boys are."  
Teddy's glare at the Cullen's is half-hearted at best and when he turns back to Rosalie he yawns widely,  
"Wan' go bed."  
Rosalie looks towards Hadrian and not even words are needed to convey her message.  
"Why don't you put him to bed, Mother? Father and I will... Show our guests inside." Hadrian ends the sentence with enough contempt that it is obvious that he is far from pleased by the turn of events.  
Rosalie nods at him and Sirius gives her waist a quick squeeze before she has turned her back on the group at large and starts walking away.  
"If you would please walk this way." Hadrian nods to the Cullen's.  
He doesn't stop to see if they are even following, instead Sirius falls in to step with him as they trudge towards the entrance of New Hale Manor.

* * *

Next Chapter

**Gunslinging**

Forks becomes a battleground when Sirius faces off against Emmett, Leah takes on Jacob and Hadrian finds a new kill target in Tanya.

* * *

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Cheers!

**- Des.**


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